Russian drone strike targets train near Polish border

On September 13, 2026, a Russian drone struck the locomotive of a passenger train in Ukraine’s Volyn region, approximately 2 kilometres from the Polish border. A separate drone strike occurred the same day near the Yahodyn–Dorohusk border crossing, where a truck was hit, causing a fire and damaging a gas station. No casualties were reported in either incident. The Yahodyn border crossing was temporarily closed following the attacks but has since reopened.

International attention focused on the train strike as it occurred shortly after a diplomatic train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, and other European officials had traveled along the same route. While the diplomatic train was warned to evacuate as a precaution, it passed safely before the subsequent passenger train was hit. Ukrainian state railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia suggested the diplomatic convoy may have been the intended target.

Russian officials declined to comment on the specific strike, stating only that their military operates throughout Ukrainian territory to target infrastructure used for moving Western military aid. European leaders and NATO officials condemned the attacks, with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius describing them as a calculated escalation intended to spread fear across Europe.