Russian drones strike passenger train and fuel point near Polish border

Strikes on transport infrastructure near the border

Russian drone strikes targeted transport infrastructure in western Ukraine during the night of 13 September, coming within two kilometres of the Polish border. One strike hit the locomotive of an active passenger train travelling on the international route between Kyiv and Warsaw in the Volyn region. Railway monitoring crews detected the incoming threat in advance and alerted the train crew, resulting in no passenger injuries. A separate drone strike hit near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing, approximately 800 metres from Polish territory. The second attack struck a fuel filling station, destroying a truck and causing multiple freight vehicles on the Ukrainian side of the border to catch fire.

Polish defence response and border checkpoint status

Polish air surveillance systems detected multiple jet-propelled Geran-5 drones operating in western Ukraine during the overnight assault. In response, the Polish military mobilised defensive air assets, including F-16 fighter aircraft, helicopters, and a Saab early warning plane, while air raid sirens sounded in several border counties. Polish officials confirmed that the strikes did not violate Polish airspace and caused no casualties or infrastructure damage on Polish territory. The Dorohusk border crossing halted processing temporarily during the alert while staff and travellers took shelter, but resumed normal traffic operations later in the morning.

The Polish Minister of National Defence reported on the military measures taken during the strikes:

Our airspace was protected by F-16 aircraft, helicopters, and a Saab early warning aircraft. There was no violation of our border.

Disruption across Ukraine's railway network

The strike on the Volyn passenger train was part of a broader, sustained campaign against Ukrainian railway logistics over the preceding 24 hours. Rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia reported that Russian attacks repeatedly struck depots, stations, and rolling stock across the country. By 11:00 on 13 September, dozens of passenger and freight trains experienced nationwide delays, with some services running eight to nine hours behind schedule. Ukrzaliznytsia chief executive Oleksandr Pertsovskyi praised operational crews for managing passenger evacuations and maintaining service continuity despite heavy damage to infrastructure.

Ukrzaliznytsia chief executive Oleksandr Pertsovskyi described the operational response across the network:

All teams are on duty, monitoring the situation, reacting and evacuating people safely. For now, we have no casualties. I thank everyone who, during these hours, manages to keep trains running, despite everything.

Diplomatic fallout and regional border security

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the proximity of the Yahodyn attack to NATO territory and urged Western governments to implement radical economic sanctions against Moscow. Ukrainian officials noted that the western border serves as the primary corridor for international humanitarian and military shipments. Simultaneously, Russian strikes continued in southern Ukraine, where an attack on Odesa injured at least five people on Sunday morning, following a Saturday strike that killed two people and injured 26. The strikes also follow repeated drone incidents along NATO borders, including in Romania, where defence authorities have recorded dozens of airspace intrusions and recovered multiple downed drones.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned Western allies about the implications of strikes near the frontier:

Russian barbaric strikes near the Yahodyn Ukrainian-Polish border crossing are not just another attack on our national borders. This is Putin's terrorism striking directly at the gates of the EU and NATO. Russian barbarians are at your gates, dear partners.