Russian drone strikes Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train 2 km from Polish border
A Russian drone struck the locomotive of a passenger train carrying 206 people from Kyiv to Warsaw near the Polish border on Sunday, prompting Ukrainian rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia to declare a nationwide rail alert.
Strike on Kyiv-Warsaw train near border
A Russian drone struck a passenger train travelling from Kyiv to Warsaw on Sunday, 13 September 2026, hitting the locomotive two kilometres from the Polish border. The train was carrying 206 passengers at the time of the impact in Ukraine's western Volyn region. Polish state rail operator PKP Intercity and Ukrainian officials confirmed that none of the 206 passengers sustained injuries during the strike. The drone hit set fire to the locomotive and damaged a neighbouring petrol station near the border crossing. In addition to the direct strike on the train, Polish authorities reported that another Russian drone struck in close proximity to a border post along the frontier with Poland, an alliance member of NATO.
- A Russian drone hits and ignites the locomotive of a Kyiv-Warsaw train 2 km from Poland.
- Polish authorities report an additional drone strike near a border crossing post.
- Ukraine state railway operator warns of a systemic nationwide attack and raises alert levels.
- PKP Intercity confirms all 206 passengers aboard the train were uninjured.
Nationwide rail network placed on high alert
Following the incident at the western border, Ukrainian state rail company Ukrzaliznytsia announced that a broader wave of strikes was hitting transit lines throughout Ukraine. The operator issued an urgent notification warning passengers of substantial schedule delays and instructing travellers to prepare for possible evacuations from trains and stations. Rail officials noted that evacuation procedures have become routine as Moscow regularly directs missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian transport corridors, stations, and electrical networks. Ukrzaliznytsia detailed its operational posture in a public statement released on Sunday.
A systemic attack on the railway is underway across the country. Our monitoring centre and our employees are on high alert.
Ukrzaliznytsia confirmed that monitoring centers across the entire national railway network are operating under maximum readiness protocols to reroute traffic and manage disruptions.
Emergency response in Volyn region
Emergency rescue and repair teams were deployed immediately to the impact site in Volyn to extinguish the burning locomotive and secure the surrounding area. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Russian military had deliberately targeted the passenger train and the adjacent civilian facilities. Zelensky pointed out that the strikes damaged transport links and commercial infrastructure located just minutes from the Polish boundary. The Ukrainian president described the situation and the response on the ground in an official communication.
All necessary services are at work near the Polish-Ukrainian border, in the Volyn region, where the Russians deliberately set fire to a locomotive and damaged a petrol station during a drone strike.
Zelensky confirmed that emergency personnel remained on site throughout Sunday to manage the damage and ensure passenger safety along the corridor.
Escalation against western infrastructure
The cross-border drone strikes occur more than four and a half years after the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian government officials, Sunday's aerial bombardment targeted rail facilities, electrical and energy infrastructure, and residential and civilian buildings across western Ukrainian regions. Authorities in Warsaw and Kyiv maintained direct communication as the strikes occurred within two kilometres of NATO territory. Railway engineers and emergency crews continued repair work on the affected Volyn track infrastructure to clear the line and restore regular passenger transit between Kyiv and Warsaw.
