A Russian drone attacked the locomotive of a Kyiv–Warsaw passenger train near the Polish border. The train was traveling approximately 10 kilometers behind a special diplomatic train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and several European officials.
According to Spiegel, Günter Sautter, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s foreign and security policy adviser, was traveling on the diplomatic train from Kyiv to Poland. Also on board were security advisers to other European governments, members of the Bundestag, diplomats, academics and Boris Johnson.
Sautter had visited Kyiv alongside representatives from the United Kingdom, France and Italy. During the visit, they discussed possible peace negotiations with Russia.
Spiegel reported that passengers on the diplomatic train were evacuated because of the threat of an attack. However, Bundestag member Roderich Kiesewetter, who was also on board, said the situation was not dramatic and that the stop was reportedly related to passport checks. According to him, the Russian strike hit the next train, which was traveling approximately 10 kilometers behind them.
Ukrainian Railways said a monitoring group had warned the crew of the targeted train about the threat in advance. The passengers were evacuated before the strike, and no one was injured. The Russian drone hit the stationary locomotive.
Following the attack, Boris Johnson published a post on X.
“I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning. What we can say for sure is that this is the kind of random and senseless attack Ukrainians are enduring every day — even on civilian railways,” he wrote.
Johnson also said that Putin was responsible for the deaths of 1,700 Ukrainian Railways employees, calling the railway workers and their daily passengers “absolutely heroic.”
