Boris Johnson and Carl Bildt Escape Russian Drone Strike Near Polish Border

On September 13, 2026, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt were traveling on a chartered train that narrowly escaped a Russian drone strike as it crossed from Ukraine into Poland. The incident occurred early in the morning after they had attended the Yalta European Strategy security conference in Kyiv.

At approximately 5 a.m. local time, their train received an evacuation warning due to reported Russian drone activity near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing. Fortunately, the train was cleared to continue its journey after no further threats were detected. Just minutes later, a drone struck the locomotive of a regular Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train carrying 206 passengers, approximately 2 kilometers from the Polish border.

Ukrzaliznytsia, the Ukrainian rail operator, confirmed that all passengers on the affected train were safely evacuated, with no injuries reported. The drone hit the locomotive rather than the passenger carriages, which likely prevented casualties among those onboard.

In response to the attack, Johnson described it as “random and senseless,” while Bildt pointed to a concerning trend of intensified Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized the drone strike as a deliberate attack on civilian infrastructure, emphasizing the ongoing risks posed by the conflict.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed alarm over the incident, warning of potential escalation given its proximity to NATO borders. This attack follows a previous incident in November 2022, when a missile landed in Poland, leading to emergency consultations among NATO allies.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in significant losses for Ukraine’s railway staff, with over 1,700 lives lost since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022, underscoring the sustained targeting of Ukraine’s rail network.