Russia hits passenger train on Ukraine’s border with Poland, just misses ‘diplomatic train’

On September 13, a Russian drone attacked a passenger train on Ukraine's border with Poland, just two kilometers from the Polish border, shortly after European diplomats, including former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, had used the same route. The train, which was frequently used by foreign delegations returning from Kyiv, was evacuated before the drone approached, and no casualties were reported.

The train was being evacuated as it approached the border crossing. It is possible that the Russian drone intended to target the diplomatic train, which had departed the station earlier due to real-time adjustments to train timetables in response to the constant threat of Russian strikes. Boris Johnson expressed his condemnation of the attack on social media, calling it "random and senseless."

The front line in the war has been largely static, leading both Russia and Ukraine to intensify long-distance strikes in recent weeks to try to shift momentum in the conflict. Additionally, a truck less than 1 km from the border with Poland was also hit earlier on Sunday, causing the Dorohusk-Yahodyn crossing point to briefly halt operations.

This escalation in attacks near NATO's border is part of a broader campaign by both sides to erode the other's economic infrastructure. In the Russian-held part of Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine accused Russia of striking fuel trucks near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, Europe's largest. Meanwhile, Russia reported that Ukrainian drones had struck civilian and industrial targets in Nizhnekamsk, causing at least two deaths and several injuries. The city, which hosts a major oil refinery, has been previously attacked.