Boris Johnson’s Train May Have Been Deliberately Targeted By Russia Near Poland Border, Says Ukraine

A train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former CIA chief David Petraeus may have been the target of a Russian drone strike near the Poland-Ukraine border, Ukrainian Railways said, raising fresh concerns over the widening reach of Moscow’s attacks.

The rail operator said the train, carrying several European security advisers along with Johnson, former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt and Petraeus, had passed through the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing shortly before a Russian drone struck railway infrastructure nearby.

According to Ukrainian Railways, the train had departed earlier than planned after officials reviewed schedules in real time because of the continuing threat of Russian strikes. The company said it was

“quite likely” that the diplomatic train could also have been the intended target.

Ukraine Calls Attack A Threat To EU, NATO

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the strike as a direct threat to Europe, saying Russia’s attacks were “knocking directly on the doors of the EU and Nato”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainians were fighting to prevent Russian attacks from spreading further into Europe.

The strikes came during a wider overnight Russian attack involving more than 450 drones and missiles across Ukraine. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 405 drones and four missiles, while at least six people were killed and more than 40 injured.

Passengers Evacuated Near Polish Border

The attack also affected other trains travelling towards Poland. Passengers on a Warsaw-bound train were evacuated several times as they approached the border.

Katerina Sergatskova, who was travelling on the train, said passengers were instructed to evacuate as they neared Poland and that she heard a Shahed drone just a few hundred metres from the border.

Another passenger, a British economist travelling towards Poland, said his train spent hours at the border and was evacuated three times. He said a missile later destroyed a locomotive in front of their train.

No casualties were reported among the passengers on the affected trains.

Poland Warns Escalation Could Reach Its Territory

The attacks prompted air-raid warnings in Poland, which shares a border with western Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that intensifying Russian attacks could affect Poland, saying Warsaw could not rule out the escalation reaching its territory. He also said Polish and allied intelligence services had warned that Russia could attempt to disrupt or destroy Ukrainian border crossings.

Russia, meanwhile, said it had struck railway infrastructure in western Ukraine used to transport military cargo from European countries.