Boris Johnson survives Russian drone strike on Ukraine train

Developed over time first seen 2 months ago

Daily Mail · 2 months ago

Boris Johnson narrowly avoided a Russian drone strike after the train carrying him from Kyiv sped up to cross the Ukrainian-Polish border ahead of an incoming drone, with a following train hit shortly afterwards once evacuated and empty. The former prime minister, who had been attending the Yalta European Strategy security conference in Kyiv, was already travelling to Warsaw Airport when the stationary train was struck at Yahodyn station, and no one was injured in either incident. He used the episode to renew criticism of Vladimir Putin and to press Western governments to arm Ukraine more heavily and release frozen Russian assets.

Johnson crossed into Poland at 7.42am, with the struck train hit at 9.28am after more than 200 passengers had already disembarked. Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, a fellow passenger, confirmed it was the train immediately behind them that was destroyed. Johnson's train also carried a senior adviser to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, along with British, French and Italian security officials, German MPs, diplomats and academics; he noted that Russian attacks have killed 1,700 Ukrainian Railways staff and called for the release of over €140 billion in frozen Russian funds held in Belgium and around £10 billion in London.

Sources: 7
Outlets: 4
Left · Centre · Right: 2 · 2 · 3

In short

Johnson's train outran a Russian drone strike near the Polish border.
A following train was hit minutes later, empty and evacuated; no injuries.
Johnson urged the West to unfreeze Russian assets and boost Ukraine's air defences.

How this story developed

2 months ago Further details have emerged about the Russian drone strike near the Ukrainian-Polish border that narrowly missed Boris Johnson, including exclusive photographs of the wreckage obtained by the Daily Mail and confirmation that the former prime minister was already en route to Warsaw Airport when the strike occurred.
2 months ago Boris Johnson has released further details and a strongly worded statement following the Russian drone strike near the Ukrainian-Polish border, accusing Vladimir Putin of "warped logic" for attacking a stationary train and calling for the West to unfreeze frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.
2 months ago Boris Johnson narrowly avoided a Russian drone strike after the train carrying him from Kyiv sped up to cross the Ukrainian-Polish border ahead of an incoming drone, with a following train hit shortly afterwards once evacuated and empty.
2 months ago Boris Johnson's train narrowly avoided a Russian drone strike near the Ukrainian-Polish border after crossing to safety, with a follow-on train being hit shortly afterwards, according to the latest details released by the former prime minister.
2 months ago Boris Johnson has given a fuller, timestamped account of the drone strike that struck a train near the Ukrainian-Polish border shortly after his own train crossed to safety, revealing new details of the incident's timeline and renewing his criticism of Vladimir Putin.
2 months ago Boris Johnson has spoken publicly for the first time about the Russian drone strike that hit a train just behind his own near the Ukrainian-Polish border, confirming via Swedish former prime minister Carl Bildt (also aboard) that it was the train immediately following theirs that was struck, not his own, and that no one was hurt in that attack.

13 Sep, 16:14The Independent Boris Johnson hits out at Putin after Russian drone struck train just minutes behind his
13 Sep, 16:27BBC World Russia struck train near Poland border shortly after Boris Johnson and top European officials passed through
13 Sep, 17:01Sky News Boris Johnson in Ukraine security scare after train hit by Russian drone
13 Sep, 21:42Daily Mail Trains carrying Boris Johnson and foreign dignitaries were intended targets of Russian drone attack in Ukraine, experts fear
13 Sep, 22:12Daily Mail BORIS JOHNSON: The Kremlin's 'terroristic' attacks on Ukraine will not work… now we must give Kyiv better air defences – and fast
14 Sep, 04:13Daily Mail Boris Johnson survives Russian drone strike on Ukraine train
14 Sep, 04:13The Independent Boris Johnson hits out at Putin after near miss with Russian drone

Full account

Boris Johnson escaped unharmed after a Russian drone struck a train near the Ukraine-Poland border shortly after he had passed through the area on his way back from a security conference in Kyiv. The strike happened at Yahodyn station, close to the frontier crossing into Poland, and hit a train's engine rather than the carriage in which the former prime minister was travelling. Ukrainian officials said all passengers had been evacuated and no one was hurt, while Russia's defence ministry said it had struck "railway infrastructure" in the west of the country.

Accounts agree that Johnson's train had already cleared the border, or was at least well clear of danger, before the drone hit a separate, stationary train nearby. Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, who travelled on the same train as Johnson, said passengers were told to prepare for an evacuation after their train stopped, but were then informed shortly afterwards that they could continue their journey; he said the train struck was the one following a few minutes behind at the border crossing. Ukraine's state rail operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said it had detected an incoming drone and issued an evacuation warning roughly fifteen minutes before impact, and suggested the drone may in fact have been aimed at the diplomatic train itself, which had left Yahodyn earlier than scheduled because of ongoing threats. The operator also noted that the former CIA director David Petraeus had been aboard another train at the station when the strike occurred, and reports named the UK's Jonathan Powell among the senior European figures returning from the same conference.

Writing on social media, Johnson condemned what he called the "warped logic" behind Vladimir Putin's decision to target a stationary Ukrainian locomotive so close to Polish, and therefore Nato, territory, describing it as part of the daily, seemingly random violence inflicted on Ukrainian civilians and rail workers. He said more than 1,700 Ukrzaliznytsia staff had been killed since the invasion began, and renewed his call for Western governments to supply greater air defences and to release frozen Russian assets — citing roughly €140 billion held in Belgium and about £10 billion in London — to fund Ukraine's defence. Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, went further, describing the strikes near the border as "barbaric" and accusing Moscow of allowing its war to knock directly on the doors of the EU and Nato, while calling for tougher sanctions against Russia.

The attack forms part of a wider pattern of Russian strikes on Ukraine's rail network in recent weeks, including a depot strike in Kyiv that killed six railway employees and the death of a conductor in a drone attack on a passenger train in the south of the country. Johnson has remained one of Ukraine's most prominent international supporters since leaving Downing Street, having been among the first Western leaders to back Kyiv militarily and diplomatically after the 2022 invasion, and he had been in the capital for a major security conference in the days before the incident.

Where outlets differ

From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:

The Daily Mail gives the most dramatic, minute-by-minute framing, describing Johnson's train as having to 'speed up' and 'escape' across the border, and includes exclusive photographs he took of the wreckage; it also gives specific timings (crossing at 7.42am, strike at 9.28am).

The Independent takes a more cautious line, stressing via unnamed sources that none of the 'VIP' trains carrying European officials were actually involved in or delayed by the attack, and that the train hit was an ordinary service, possibly evacuated because of a nearby gas station strike — a more downplayed account of any danger to Johnson personally.

The BBC is the only outlet to report Ukrzaliznytsia's suggestion that the diplomatic train itself, which had departed early due to threat warnings, may have been the drone's intended target, and it uniquely notes that former CIA director David Petraeus was on another train at the station at the time, plus names Jonathan Powell among the travelling officials.

Sources vary slightly on timing and location detail — the Mail cites a 7.42am border crossing and 9.28am strike, while the Independent references a 5am alert, and outlets differ on whether the affected settlement is spelled 'Yahodyn' or 'Yagodyn' and whether the strike point was under a mile or about 2km from the Polish border.

Left-leaning outlets 2

Boris Johnson hits out at Putin after Russian drone struck train just minutes behind hisThe Independent
Boris Johnson hits out at Putin after near miss with Russian droneThe Independent

Only here: hits, putin, minutes, behind, miss

Centre outlets 2

Only here: russia, poland, border, shortly, european

Right-leaning outlets 3

Only here: survives, strike, trains, carrying, foreign

Every side used: boris, johnson, russian, drone, train

Headline columns compared word for word; nothing in them is AI-written.

Steelman: both sides, in good faith

The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.

The case for

Advocates of Johnson's call argue that Russia's own actions, striking civilian rail infrastructure that also serves as a lifeline for ordinary Ukrainians, demonstrate the scale of the threat and justify urgent, decisive support. They contend that seizing or repurposing frozen Russian state assets is a matter of basic justice, using the aggressor's own resources to fund the defence and reconstruction of the country it has invaded, while stronger air defences would save civilian lives and railway workers without requiring NATO troops on the ground. From this perspective, hesitancy only prolongs the war and rewards Russian aggression.

The case against

Sceptics of this approach argue that confiscating sovereign Russian assets, rather than merely freezing them, risks breaching international law and setting a precedent that could undermine confidence in Western financial systems, deterring other states from holding reserves in London or Brussels. They also caution that pouring more advanced weaponry into the conflict, while understandable given the human cost, could escalate tensions with a nuclear-armed power and complicate the very peace negotiations that were reportedly being discussed in Kyiv. On this view, prudence and a negotiated settlement, however difficult, may ultimately save more lives than an intensified military and financial confrontation.

Explained simply

Boris Johnson has been a supporter of Ukraine since leaving Downing Street in 2022, frequently visiting the country and campaigning for continued Western military and financial backing against Russia's invasion. He was travelling by train near the Ukrainian-Polish border, a route commonly used by foreign visitors and officials because Ukrainian airspace is closed, when a Russian drone struck another train close behind his.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's rail network during the war, which connects millions of civilians as well as visiting dignitaries, since air travel is not possible. Ukrainian Railways staff and passengers have died in previous strikes, and the network is widely seen as a lifeline for the country's economy and war effort.

Johnson's account comes as Western governments continue to debate how much support to give Ukraine, including supplying air defence systems and whether to make use of frozen Russian state assets held in European banks. The incident has drawn fresh attention to these ongoing discussions, which involve the UK, the European Union and other allies.

Coverage · 7 sources

Bias meters

Left29%

Centre29%

Right42%

From 7 rated sources.

Europe Russia-Ukraine War World

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