The russian drone struck the locomotive of a train traveling from Kyiv to Warsaw about two kilometers from the Polish border near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk crossing. A russian strike also damaged a gas station near the border crossing, according to Ukrainian and Polish officials.
European officials, including German foreign and security policy adviser Günter Sautter, Bundestag member Robin Wagener, and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, had been traveling by train from Ukraine toward Poland after attending the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv, ISW reported, citing German outlet Der Spiegel and the Financial Times.
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Ukrzaliznytsia confirmed that European officials were traveling through the Yahodyn border crossing and said the diplomatic train was evacuated about 15 minutes before the russian strike. The railway operator stated that it was quite likely that the train carrying the European officials was the intended target.
ISW assessed that the available reporting strongly supports the conclusion that the Kremlin conducted a precision drone strike intended to injure or kill current and former European government officials as they were leaving Ukraine. The institute linked the attack to a broader russian campaign aimed at intimidating NATO and weakening its support for Ukraine.
ISW also noted that russia has increasingly targeted Ukrainian border crossings and escalated drone incursions into European airspace. The institute said NATO should reconsider its policy of intercepting russian aerial targets only after they enter European airspace and consider intercepting them over Ukraine as they approach NATO borders.
ISW also called for accelerating the provision of additional air defense capabilities to Ukraine and enabling Ukrainian strikes against russian drone and missile launchers before they can launch their weapons.
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