Russian drones strike Kyiv-Warsaw train and border post near Poland

Strikes on border transit routes

A Russian drone struck the locomotive of a passenger train traveling from Kyiv to Warsaw on Sunday, 13 September. The strike occurred in Ukraine's western Volyn region, approximately 2 kilometres from the Polish border. Polish operator PKP Intercity and Ukrainian state carrier Ukrzaliznytsia confirmed that 206 passengers were on board at the time of the impact. A dedicated railway monitoring unit identified the incoming drone threat beforehand and alerted the crew, allowing personnel to take safety precautions. Both Ukrainian and Polish authorities reported zero injuries among passengers or railway staff.

We constantly monitor airborne threats, maintain train traffic, and take maximum security measures for passengers and railway workers.

Shortly after the rail attack, another Russian drone hit a truck near the border crossing between Dorohusk on the Polish side and Jahodyn on the Ukrainian side. A Polish Border Guard spokesperson told Reuters that the strike occurred roughly 800 metres from Polish territory. Polish authorities temporarily suspended operations at the Dorohusk-Jahodyn checkpoint following the explosion before resuming border processing later in the day.

Rail network warnings and operational disruptions

Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of carrying out systematic attacks against the national railway infrastructure. Ukrzaliznytsia placed its central monitoring facility and nationwide workforce on highest alert following the weekend attacks. The railway carrier cautioned passengers about potential emergency evacuations, widespread train delays, and schedule diversions across the central Dnipro region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian forces had targeted the passenger train deliberately.

For the second time in a row, the enemy is attacking the railway. Today in the Volyn region, 2 kilometres from the Polish border, the enemy hit the locomotive of a passenger train.

Ukraine depends heavily on overland freight corridors and border crossings with Poland, Romania, and Moldova to sustain commercial trade and receive Western equipment supplies. Russian forces have targeted transit links leading to allied nations with increasing frequency over recent weeks.

Military justifications and regional airspace alert

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed operations against transport infrastructure in western Ukraine, stating that targeted sites were used to route military shipments arriving from European countries. The proximity of the strikes to NATO territory also triggered emergency security protocols elsewhere in the Baltic region.

In Lithuania, aviation authorities temporarily closed Vilnius International Airport after radar detected an unidentified airborne object. The national crisis management centre lifted the air alert after 38 minutes and reopened the airport when a NATO fighter jet established visual contact, confirming that the radar blip was a flock of birds rather than a drone. The agency noted that radar signatures for bird flocks and unmanned aircraft can initially appear identical.

Additional strikes in industrial and nuclear zones

Cross-border and deep-rear military strikes continued across other sectors. In the Russian-occupied area of southeastern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, the head of state nuclear energy company Rosatom accused Ukrainian forces of attacking fuel tanker trucks operating near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.

Meanwhile, the mayor of the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk reported that Ukrainian drones struck civilian and industrial facilities, killing at least two people and wounding several others. Ukrainian authorities did not immediately comment on the Nizhnekamsk casualties, but confirmed an attack against an oil refinery situated in southern Russia.