Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned a Russian drone strike near the Ukraine-Poland border after a passenger train was hit shortly after he and other European security officials had travelled along the same railway route.
The incident occurred near Yahodyn in western Ukraine, less than a mile from the Polish border, as Johnson and other European officials were returning from a security conference in Kyiv. A separate passenger train was evacuated after a Russian drone approached the area, while another railway carriage was struck.
No casualties were reported, but the incident has heightened concerns over the growing proximity of Russian attacks to Ukraine’s borders with NATO and European Union member states.
Boris Johnson, who remains one of Ukraine’s most prominent foreign supporters, responded angrily to the attack, questioning the logic behind Russia’s targeting of railway infrastructure used by civilians.
“I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning.”
Boris Johnson
The former Prime Minister was notified as he returned from Kyiv. The strike, however, did not cause him to be evacuated or delayed, and no trains carrying European officials were directly impacted, according to sources.
Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s state railway operator, stated that the Russian drone may have targeted a diplomatic train carrying foreign officials. According to the operator, the train left earlier than planned when railway timetables were updated in real time due to the ongoing danger of Russian strikes.
Boris Johnson Calls for Stronger Western Support
Boris Johnson used the incident to renew his call for greater military assistance to Ukraine, particularly air-defence systems capable of protecting civilians and critical infrastructure from Russian missile and drone attacks.
He noted that the strike represented the kind of violence Ukrainians experience regularly and praised railway workers and passengers for continuing to operate despite the risks.
“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. So far Putin has been responsible for the deaths of 1,700 staff of Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukrainian Railways. They and their daily passengers are absolutely heroic.”
Boris Johnson
He then questioned why Ukraine’s allies had not done more to strengthen its air defences.
“When are we going to give them the air defences they need? Why won’t we unfreeze Putin’s cash and give it to Ukraine? There is more than €140 billion in a Belgian bank account – and about £10 billion in London. Britain could show a lead.”
Boris Johnson
Johnson argued that stronger Western assistance could help shorten the conflict, insisting that Ukraine remained capable of prevailing in the war.
“The Ukrainians are going to win that much was clear from the last three days in their wonderful country. But we will get this dreadful war over much faster if we all get serious and give them what they need and deserve.”
Boris Johnson
His statements are consistent with his stance since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Johnson was one of the Western leaders who vigorously supported Kyiv with military and humanitarian aid while serving as prime minister, and he has been an advocate for Ukraine ever since he left office.
Several other high-ranking European officials who had attended the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv were also implicated in the most recent incident.
Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt confirmed that the train he was travelling on had been close to the affected area, although he said it was not the train that was struck.
“This wasn’t our train, but the one just minutes after us by the border crossing. It was evacuated as the drone approached and no one was hurt.”
Carl Bildt
Moreover, Former CIA Director David Petraeus, who was reportedly aboard another train at Yahodyn station, described the experience as “terrifying” and condemned the attack as an attempt to intimidate Ukrainian civilians.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry stated that its forces had targeted railway infrastructure facilitating the movement of military cargoes from Europe into western Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the strikes as “barbaric” and warned that Russia’s actions were moving closer to the territory of the EU and NATO.
“Russia’s barbaric strikes at the Ukraine-Poland border in Yahodyn are not just a continuation of its attacks on our state borders. This is Putin’s terror ‘knocking’ directly on the doors of the EU and NATO. Russian barbarians are at your gate, dear partners.”
Andrii Sybiha
He added that, “Putin needs to understand that his barbarism will be met with decisive action that increases the cost of war for him to an unacceptable level. This is the only way to stop him.”
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