Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson, European officials escape Russian drone strike on train near Poland

Former British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and several senior European officials were caught up in a security scare after a Russian drone struck a passenger train locomotive near Ukraine’s border with Poland on Sunday.

The incident occurred in Ukraine’s Volyn region, about two kilometres from the Polish border, when the drone hit the locomotive of a passenger service travelling on the Kyiv-Warsaw route.

No injuries were reported, but passengers were evacuated or temporarily ordered to leave the train as Ukrainian authorities responded to the attack.

Johnson was not aboard the train that was hit. He and other prominent Western figures were travelling on a separate train ahead of the affected service after attending the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference in Kyiv.

The 2026 YES conference, held on September 11 and 12 under the theme “Peace Through Strength NOW!”, brought together about 700 participants from 28 countries, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Johnson, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s security adviser Günter Sautter, UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt and senior officials from France, Italy and other European countries.

Johnson later described the drone strike as a “random and senseless attack”, saying it demonstrated the daily dangers confronting Ukrainian civilians and railway workers.

The former British leader also renewed his call for Western countries to strengthen Ukraine’s air-defence capabilities and make greater use of frozen Russian assets to support Kyiv.

Johnson said more than €140 billion was held in a Belgian bank account, while about £10 billion was frozen in London. He argued that Britain should take the lead in finding ways to use the frozen Russian funds to assist Ukraine.

The incident occurred as Russia launched another major wave of attacks against Ukraine. Ukraine’s Air Force said 453 Russian drones were deployed during the overnight assault, while Ukrainian authorities reported that infrastructure in several areas was targeted.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha described the incident as Russian terror reaching “the doors of the EU and NATO,” while Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of deliberately targeting infrastructure linking Ukraine with its European neighbours.

There was initially uncertainty over whether Johnson and the other dignitaries had been aboard the train hit by the drone. Subsequent reports clarified that Johnson and several other officials were travelling on a separate train that had passed through the area shortly before the attack, while the passenger service behind them was struck.