Phoenix 24
The attack brings Russia’s expanding railway campaign dangerously close to NATO territory.
VOLYN, UKRAINE
A Russian drone struck the locomotive of a passenger train travelling from Kyiv to Warsaw approximately two kilometres from Ukraine’s border with Poland. No passengers or railway employees were injured, according to Ukraine’s state rail operator, Ukrzaliznytsia.
A railway monitoring team detected the approaching threat and warned the crew before impact, allowing emergency procedures to be activated. The locomotive sustained damage, but railway authorities continued working to preserve passenger services while implementing additional security measures.
The strike formed part of a large overnight Russian offensive involving more than 450 drones of different types, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Ukrainian officials said the country’s railway system had been targeted for a second consecutive day, suggesting an intensifying effort to disrupt civilian mobility, international assistance and logistical connections with Europe.
Another Russian attack was reported near the Yahodyn–Dorohusk border crossing, temporarily affecting operations along a route used for trade and the delivery of humanitarian and military support. Polish authorities said their territory and airspace were not directly struck, but the proximity of the attacks heightened concern in Warsaw.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the violence near the frontier as a warning directed at the European Union and NATO. Although the drone remained inside Ukraine, an attack occurring within kilometres of Polish territory illustrates how easily long-range warfare can generate miscalculation, disrupt cross-border infrastructure or produce consequences beyond the intended battlefield.
Every attack near a border also tests the limits of restraint.