BORIS Johnson’s train may have been the target of a terrifying Russian drone attack in Ukraine, rail chiefs claimed tonight.
The ex-PM was travelling close to the Polish border when the service behind his was blown up by Vladimir Putin’s forces.
9
9
The train carrying Mr Johnson and various European diplomats had left early amid fears of Russian strikes.
He hit out at the “random and senseless” attack on a stationary locomotive at around 5am local time, and questioned Putin’s “warped logic”.
The strike, around a mile from the Poland’s border, came shortly after he and the UK’s most senior security adviser, Jonathan Powell, had passed through the line heading to Warsaw.
Ukraine’s state railway company said Mr Johnson’s train had left Yahodyn station earlier than expected, and it could have been Russia’s target.
Read More on UKRAINE
SEA STRIKE
Moment Ukraine drone ‘destroys Russian boat’ in ‘first-ever’ drone battle at sea
NO SAFE HAVEN
The deadly shadow war in Russia as hit squads bring bombs to Vlad’s doorstep
The firm, Ukrzaliznytsia, said in a statement: “It is entirely possible that the Russian drone’s intended target was the diplomatic train.”
It added that the service “departed the station earlier than scheduled after train timetables were adjusted in real time because of the constant threat of Russian strikes”.
Former Tory leader Mr Johnson, a staunch ally of Ukraine, shared footage of the damaged locomotive and the railway track.
He said: “I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary locomotive on the Polish border this morning.
Most read in The Sun
VILE ATTACK
Thugs attacked Uber Eats driver after he took too long to deliver McDonald’s
RACE HORROR
Moment car flies over barrier in 170mph crash with racing rival as ‘3 injured’
DAVID WOODING
PM’s tourist tax will discourage tourists more effectively than Basil Fawlty
9
9
“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.”
He had been in Kyiv at the Yalta European Strategy summit over the weekend, where officials held talks with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky over a possible peace plan with Russia.
Following the incident, he said it was time for allies to give Ukraine the armaments they need in a bid to speed up their victory over Moscow.
Mr Johnson asked: “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 €140billion in a Belgian bank account – and about £10billion in London. Britain could show a lead. 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.”
9
9
Mr Johnson’s train was allowed to carry on its journey.
Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski described Russia’s increasing attacks on Nato’s doorstep as “an escalation”.
Moscow is also understood to be behind several recent attacks in Europe, including on a warehouse in Britain and an airport in Germany.
He said: “It is precisely to prevent these strikes from spreading further into Europe that Ukrainian men and women fight every day, give their lives, and do not allow the aggression to expand.”
The train which was struck was carrying 206 people from Kyiv to Warsaw.
An evacuation order was sounded some 15 minutes before the strike from a jet-propelled drone.
Some passengers were seen running from the locomotive in fear for their lives after the incident.
Ex-Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt was also on the diplomatic train along with Mr Johnson.
9
9
9
He said: “This wasn’t our train (that was hit), but the one minutes after us by the [Polish] border crossing.
“It was evacuated as the drone approached and no one was hurt.”
Pressure is now mounting on PM Andy Burnham to urgently speed up Britain’s defence spending.
The UK has pledged to hit Nato’s target of 3.5 per cent by 2035 and will set out a target date for three per cent at the spending review next year.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the UK “continues to stand firm with Ukraine”, and it was working with allies to “bolster European security”.
He posted on X: “The strikes on Ukraine today, including on the gas works near Nato’s border, serve as a stark reminder of the bombardment that Ukrainians face every day.”
As PM, Mr Johnson was a firm ally of Ukraine, before and after Russia’s incursion.
His resignation in 2022 was celebrated by the Kremlin. At the time, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “He doesn’t like us and we don’t like him either”.
Stuart Anderson, Shadow Minister for War Readiness, said last night: “Boris Johnson led the world in standing up to Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and continues to play a significant role in supporting our friends there. Russia’s attack is a stark escalation. It is yet another reminder Russian aggression is a real and growing threat to European security and, ultimately, our own national security.”
RECOMMENDED STORIES
The train attack came hours after US President Donald Trump warned Mr Zelensky to stop targeting Russia’s diesel fuel infrastructure in retaliatory attacks.
He said it was “causing a shortage of diesel” which is “hurting the world”.