Boris Johnson, European officials escape Russian drone strike on train

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Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and several senior European officials were caught up in a security scare after a Russian drone struck the locomotive of a passenger train in Ukraine’s Volyn region on Sunday.

The attack occurred roughly two kilometres from the Polish border, when the drone hit the locomotive of a passenger service travelling along the Kyiv-Warsaw route.

No casualties were reported following the incident, although passengers were evacuated or temporarily instructed to leave the train as Ukrainian authorities responded to the attack.

Johnson was not travelling aboard the train that came under attack. He and other prominent Western figures were travelling on another 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!”, attracted 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”, arguing that the incident highlighted the daily dangers faced by Ukrainian civilians and railway workers.

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

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

The incident came as Russia launched another major wave of attacks across Ukraine. Ukraine’s Air Force reported that 453 Russian drones were deployed during the overnight assault, while Ukrainian authorities said 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 officials in Kyiv accused Moscow of deliberately targeting infrastructure connecting Ukraine with its European neighbours.

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

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