Former prime minister Boris Johnson has hit out at Vladimir Putin after his train was involved in a near miss with a Russian drone close to the Ukraine-Poland border on Sunday.
“I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning,” Johnson said, shortly after he returned from a security conference in Kyiv.
A diplomatic train carrying Boris Johnson, Carl Bildt and security advisers from several European Union states had deliberately left the station at Yahodyn ahead of schedule and the foreign dignitaries were on their way back from the conference when a drone struck the line behind them.
A passenger train behind the diplomatic service was damaged in the strike. It had already been evacuated due to intelligence on an impending attack, and no one was harmed.
A drone also hit the engine carriage of a train near the Yahodyn crossing point earlier on Sunday.
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Key Points
- Boris Johnson hits out at Putin after near miss with Russian drone: 'Warped logic'
- Ukrainian troops wipe out almost all of Russian territory gains this year, says ISW
- Trump asks Ukraine to stop 'knocking out' Putin's diesel fuel
- Zelensky sanctions former press secretary for spreading Russian propaganda
- Ukraine preparing for Russia-US talks to resume in October
Watch: Trump asks Zelensky not to target Russian diesel fuel
06:13 , Arpan RaiUkrainian troops wipe out almost all of Russian territory gains this year, says ISW
05:43 , Arpan RaiUkrainian forces have managed to wipe out nearly all of Russia’s territorial gains made inside Ukraine since March 2026 through major counteroffensive operations on several sectors of the front, a US-based think tank has said.
According to an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the battlefield operations by Ukraine have reduced Russia’s net territorial gains to almost zero, citing the counteroffensive operations in Kupiansk, Oleksandrivka, and Lyman directions, disrupting several Russian operational objectives.
These operations have also prevented Russian forces from advancing further into the Dnipropetrovsk region, it said, adding that the fighting eliminated a significant Russian contingent that had threatened the northern flank of Sloviansk and Ukraine’s broader defensive belt in the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian drones kill two in Russia as Moscow hits main port hub in Black Sea
05:41 , Arpan RaiCivilians were killed and injured yesterday as Russia and Ukraine continued to attack each other with waves of drones.
Two people were killed in Russia’s Tatarstan, according to local officials, while Ukrainian authorities reported Russian drone attacks on the Black Sea port of Odesa and a fire near a border crossing with Poland.
Two people were killed and 12 more injured on Sunday as Ukrainian drones struck Nizhnekamsk, a city in Tatarstan, according to the office of regional head Rustam Minnikhanov.
The two civilians died after a drone slammed into a tree near their parked car, the statement staid.
Nizhnekamsk houses a key cluster of oil refineries and petrochemical, rubber and polymer plants, including some of Russia's largest facilities of their kind. Mayor Radmir Belyaev said that a fire had broken out “at one of the city’s enterprises,” without giving detail.
Boris Johnson hits out at Putin after near miss with Russian drone
04:50 , Arpan RaiBoris Johnson has hit out at Vladimir Putin after a Russian drone targeted the railway line he was travelling on.
The former prime minister was alerted at 5am on Sunday as he returned from a security conference in Kyiv after another passenger train behind his was forced to evacuate near Yagodyn, near the Polish border.
In a post on X, Mr Johnson wrote: “I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning.”
It is understood the route was frequently used by foreign delegations returning from Kyiv, but Mr Johnson was not evacuated or delayed by the incident. Sources told The Independent none of the “VIP” trains with European officials were involved in the attack.
Boris Johnson hits out at Putin after near miss with Russian drone
Russian drone hits train near Ukraine-Poland border soon after Boris Johnson's train leaves
04:35 , Arpan RaiA Russian drone struck a train near the Ukraine- Poland border on Sunday shortly after senior visiting officials, including the former prime ministers of the UK and Sweden, passed through, Ukraine’s state rail operator said.
According to Ukrzaliznytsia, a diplomatic train carrying Boris Johnson, Carl Bildt and security advisers from several European Union states had purposely left the station at Yahodyn ahead of schedule. The visitors were on their way back from a security conference in Kyiv.
“It is highly probable that the Russian drone ’s intended target was in fact the diplomatic train, which had departed the station earlier than scheduled,” the company said in a Telegram post.
Another train, with former CIA director David Petraeus on board, was still at Yahodyn station when the drone struck, according to Ukrzaliznytsia.
Zelensky sanctions former press secretary for spreading Russian propaganda
04:18 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on a former press secretary yesterday, accusing her and nine others of spreading Russian propaganda and of supporting Russia's aggressive policy toward Ukraine.
Yuliia Mendel, who worked with Zelensky from 2019 to 2021, before Russia's invasion, responded with a message on Facebook saying it was unconstitutional to impose sanctions on Ukrainian citizens. She did not comment on the specific accusations.
Mendel has given interviews criticising Zelensky's record since last year, when a number of members of the president's inner circle became embroiled in corruption scandals.
The suspects have denied the charges that have not been tested in court.
The sanctions were announced by Zelensky in a decree stating that they would last for 10 years and included asset freezes and restrictions on trade, the document read.
Trump asks Ukraine to stop 'knocking out' Putin's diesel fuel
04:09 , Arpan RaiUS president Donald Trump called on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, saying the attacks are causing a global shortage.
He spoke after diesel prices in the US hit a record on Friday, soaring past $6 a gallon on average.
Trump was asked by a reporter if he had spoken with Zelensky following his recent conversation with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. He responded by calling on Zelensky to halt strikes against Russia.
“Mr Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the Irish Open, which is being played at his Doonbeg golf club.
“We spoke to Mr Zelensky about it. There are plenty of other targets. Don’t hit diesel fuel, because that’s hurting, that’s hurting the world,” he said.
Canada in talks to back €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine, FT reports
03:00 , Bryony GoochCanada is in talks to back a €90 billion ($104 billion) European Union loan for Ukraine, and the two sides hope to agree on the North American country's contribution before an EU summit in Montreal at the end of October, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Zelensky imposes sanctions on former press secretary
02:00 , Bryony GoochUkraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on a former press secretary on Sunday, accusing her and nine others of spreading Russian propaganda and of supporting Russia's aggressive policy toward Ukraine.
Yuliia Mendel — who worked with Zelensky from 2019 to 2021, before Russia's invasion — responded with a message on Facebook saying it was unconstitutional to impose sanctions on Ukrainian citizens. She did not comment on the specific accusations.
Mendel has given interviews criticising Zelensky's record since last year, when a number of members of the president's inner circle became embroiled in corruption scandals. The suspects have denied the charges that have not been tested in court.
The sanctions — announced by Zelensky in a decree — would last for 10 years and included asset freezes and restrictions on trade, the document read.
They were an unusual measure to use against a former member of staff, though they have been used against political figures.
In 2025, Ukraine imposed sanctions on former president and opposition politician Petro Poroshenko, including an asset freeze and a ban on withdrawing capital from the country, for what the domestic spy agency said were "national security" reasons.
Sunday's order "imposes restrictions on 10 Russian and Ukrainian individuals who spread disinformation and Russian propaganda and support Russia’s aggressive policy toward Ukraine. Yuliia Mendel is among those sanctioned," the presidency said in a statement.
Mendel, Zelensky's first press secretary after he became president, wrote on Facebook that she had been expecting the move.
"Sanctions against Ukrainian citizens are unconstitutional, as are many of Zelensky's other decisions," she added. "Volodymyr Zelensky is imposing them on anyone who advocates for peace in Ukraine."
Pictured: Firefighters extinguish a car of a passenger train hit by a Russian drone strike at a railway station, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lutsk
01:00 , Bryony Gooch
Recap: Trump tells Ukraine's Zelensky to stop hitting Russian diesel
Monday 14 September 2026 00:00 , Bryony GoochUS president Donald Trump on Sunday called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop targeting Russian diesel infrastructure, saying the attacks were causing a shortage of the fuel that is "hurting the world".
A wave of long-distance Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries in recent months has reduced that country's fuel production, triggering gasoline shortages across the country.
Ukraine, which faces regular Russian attacks on its own energy infrastructure, says refineries are legitimate military targets.
The US national average price for diesel, which is used by trucks, trains, ships and farm equipment, rose over $6 a gallon for the first time on Thursday, according to price tracker GasBuddy.
"Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing: He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia," Trump told journalists during a visit to the Irish Open, which is being held in the west of Ireland on a golf course owned by his family.
"We spoke to Mr Zelensky about it. There are plenty of other targets. Don't hit diesel fuel. That's hurting the world," he said.
The global shortage "isn't done by the Middle East, this is done by what's happening with Russia and Ukraine," Trump added.
Russia downgradedits oil output forecast for this year to a 17-year low and revised its fuel exports outlook for 2026 and 2027 due to the war, according to a government draft forecast seen by Reuters.
Ukrainian tennis star says her family home was destroyed in Russian missile attack
Sunday 13 September 2026 23:00 , James ReynoldsUkrainian tennis star Dayana Yastremska has shared that her family home was struck by a Russian missile on Friday.
The world No. 113, who competed at the US Open this month, wrote on social media: “A Russian missile destroyed our apartment in Odesa. The only thing that survived was a Roland Garros towel.
“SYMBOLIC,” she went on. “A piece of world tennis survived a Russian missile. Our home did not.”
Sharing video of an apartment block burning, she demanded that the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) “look at these images through our eyes”.
“This is the true meaning of your ‘neutrality’ – from the Ukrainian side of the court.”
Government expected to make a statement on drone attack
Sunday 13 September 2026 22:05 , Bryony GoochIt is understood that the government will make a statement on the drone attack which almost involved former prime minister Boris Johnson.
Labour MPs are considering putting in for an urgent question to force a statement but it is expected ministers will give one anyway.
While Mr Johnson’s train from Kyiv was not involved the drone attack nor were EU officials in other VIP trains, the attack so close to the Polish border which put allies and a former prime minister under threat is being treated as a serious escalation.
Conservative response to Russian drone strike on train behind Boris Johnson
Sunday 13 September 2026 22:01 , Bryony GoochStuart Anderson, the newly appointed tory shadow minister for war readiness, said: “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. I was on the NATO trip last week prior to Boris going there and saw first-hand his dedication to Ukraine.
“Russia’s attack is a stark escalation. It is yet another reminder that Russian aggression is a real and growing threat to European security and, ultimately, our own national security.
“The UK and the Conservative Party will always stand with our friends in Ukraine. We are urging the Government to adopt our plans to increase defence spending to three per cent of GDP by 2030 so Britain is properly prepared for the very real threats we face.”
RT launches Hindi language channel as Putin and Modi forge closer ties
Sunday 13 September 2026 22:00 , James ReynoldsRussian state broadcaster RT has launched its first Hindi language channel, underscoring the growing relationship between New Delhi and Moscow, despite mounting Western scrutiny due to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
RT only just launched an English-language bureau in India last December, during a state visit by the Russian president who called the inauguration “momentous”.
But the international press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said RT's expansion in India risked the spread of yet more disinformation.
Here’s why it matters:
RT launches Hindi language channel as Putin and Modi forge closer ties
Russian athletes appeal to end World Athletics ban
Sunday 13 September 2026 21:00 , James ReynoldsRussian athletes have appealed to international sporting and human rights bodies to help end World Athletics' ban on Russian competitors, arguing that more than four years of exclusion has deprived a generation of athletes of their careers.
In an open letter dated 10 September - addressed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes' Commission, the IOC Advisory Committee on Human Rights and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - the athletes said the continued ban was having a devastating impact.
"For us, this is not an abstract legal or political issue. Athletics is our life," the letter said. "Four years is a long time in any life. In an athlete's life, it can be the most significant years."
Russian athletes appeal to end World Athletics ban
First naval drone battle takes place in Black Sea as latest strikes kill 12
Sunday 13 September 2026 20:00 , James ReynoldsA Ukrainian sea drone shot and destroyed a Russian unmanned boat in what Volodymyr Zelensky’s navy says marks the “first-ever naval battle” between maritime drones.
The Ukrainian Sargan 3000 unmanned naval boat identified the Russian drone on the Black Sea and attacked with its powerful 12.7mm turret, the navy said on Telegram.
Footage shared from the Ukrainian drone showed a volley of fire hitting the other boat, which erupted with thick grey smoke before sinking. It was unclear when or exactly where the video was taken.
At least 12 people were killed on Saturday as the war on the ground raged on. Authorities in Ukraine’s Kramatorsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih regions reported fatalities.
The Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk region also reported that three people were killed in Ukrainian attacks.
Putin 'knocking on Nato's door' with strike near Polish border, says Ukrainian FM
Sunday 13 September 2026 19:00 , James ReynoldsUkraine’s foreign minister on Sunday warned that Vladimir Putin was “knocking directly on the doors of the EU and Nato” after a train was struck near the border with Poland.
“Russia’s barbaric strikes at the Ukraine-Poland border in Yahodyn are not just a continuation of its attacks on our state borders,” Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.
“This is Putin’s terror “knocking” directly on the doors of the EU and NATO. Russian barbarians are at your gate, dear partners.”
He added: “Act now: throw the full weight of your sanctions at Putin’s aggressive regime. Make Moscow feel the consequences of its terror. Not just half-decisions, but uncompromising, powerful steps. Full trade embargo. Full entry bans. Full sanctions on the military-industrial complex.”
Nato jet scrambled to Lithuania ‘drone sighting’
Sunday 13 September 2026 18:00 , James ReynoldsA Nato jet summoned over a possible drone sighting near Lithuania’s main airport was stood down – after the potential threat was confirmed to be a flock of birds.
The sighting on Saturday prompted the closure of Vilnius airport and prompted at least one Nato fighter jet to be summoned to respond.
The air alert was lifted and the airport reopened within 38 minutes, after the jet spotted the birds, Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre said.
Nato jet scrambled to Lithuania ‘drone threat’ turns out to be flock of birds
Recap: Russian drone hits train just 2km from Polish border
Sunday 13 September 2026 17:00 , James ReynoldsA Russian drone on Sunday struck a train near a Polish border crossing with Ukraine that had earlier been used by visiting politicians.
The drone hit the engine carriage of the train, which had already been evacuated from the rest of the train after Ukraine learned of the incoming strike. Nobody was injured.
The aerial drone came down just two kilometres from the Polish border, near the Yahodyn crossing point.
The line had earlier been used by politicians coming back from a summit in Kyiv, including former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt.
"For the second day in a row, the enemy has been attacking the railways. Today in the Volyn region, two km from the border with Poland, the enemy struck the locomotive of a passenger train," rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia said on Telegram.
The strike occurred as Russia launched its biggest drone barrage on Ukraine in months. Ukraine’s air force tallied 450 drones launched overnight, including jet-propelled drones and Banderol missile drones.
BREAKER Boris Johnson hits out at Putin after Russian drone struck train just behind his
Sunday 13 September 2026 16:59 , Bryony GoochBoris Johnson hits out at Putin after Russian drone struck train behind his
Russia drone hit ordinary passenger train not VIPs
Sunday 13 September 2026 16:59 , Bryony GoochDavid Maddox, political editor reports:
After The Independent was first to confirm that Boris Johnson was not in the train hit by a Russian drone near the Polish border, it has emerged that the wreckage now being seen on social media was an ordinary passenger train.
According to sources none of the “VIP” trains with European officials and Mr Johnson returning from Kyiv were evacuated or involved in the attack.
An ordinary passenger train was evacuated but is believed to be as a result of a gas station very close by being hit rather than the train itself.
Another train locomotive carriage that was sat in the sidings was hit but was not moving or part of a running service.This all happened around Yagodyn which is very close to the Polish border.
It is understood though that Mr Johnson was returning from a security conference in Kyiv when he was woken up by guards at 5am and told to prepare for an evacuation.
In the end no evacuation took place and an all-clear was given shortly afterwards when no further drones were detected, enabling Mr Johnson’s train to continue its journey.
The former PM was unharmed.
Kremlin acknowledges targeting 'everything and anything' in Ukraine
Sunday 13 September 2026 16:04 , James ReynoldsKremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged on Sunday that Russia had started striking “everything and anything” in Ukraine after Kyiv began hitting economic targets deep inside Russia.
"The Russian Federation did not strike everything and anything," he told reporters, before adding: "It started doing so after the Ukrainians themselves opened Pandora's box."
Kyiv preparing for talks to resume in October, senior Ukrainian official says
Sunday 13 September 2026 16:00 , James ReynoldsVolodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff said on Saturday that Kyiv was preparing for the resumption in October of three-sided talks aimed at resolving the more than four-year-old war with Russia.
Kyrylo Budanov told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Kyiv that Ukraine was readying itself for the prospect of new talks involving Russia and the United States.
"We are getting ready. In October," Budanov was quoted as saying.
Budanov was speaking several days after US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks in both Moscow and Kyiv. It was their first such visit to Moscow since February and their first visit to the Ukrainian capital.
The last three-sided meeting took place in Geneva in February. US-led diplomatic efforts had stalled as Washington was focused on the conflict with Iran.
Witkoff said after visiting both capitals that they welcomed new momentum in proceeding with talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow did not rule out a resumption of peace talks but added that it was too early to say when and where such talks might take place.
Putin 'knocking on Nato's door' with strike near Polish border, says Ukrainian FM
Sunday 13 September 2026 15:01 , James ReynoldsUkraine’s foreign minister on Sunday warned that Vladimir Putin was “knocking directly on the doors of the EU and Nato” after a train was struck near the border with Poland.
“Russia’s barbaric strikes at the Ukraine-Poland border in Yahodyn are not just a continuation of its attacks on our state borders,” Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.
“This is Putin’s terror “knocking” directly on the doors of the EU and NATO. Russian barbarians are at your gate, dear partners.”
He added: “Act now: throw the full weight of your sanctions at Putin’s aggressive regime. Make Moscow feel the consequences of its terror. Not just half-decisions, but uncompromising, powerful steps. Full trade embargo. Full entry bans. Full sanctions on the military-industrial complex.”
In pictures: Aftermath of Russian strike on Odesa on Sunday
Sunday 13 September 2026 15:00 , James Reynolds
Boris Johnson not on train hit by Russian drone
Sunday 13 September 2026 14:56 , David MaddoxBoris Johnson was not on a train hit by a Russian drone near the Polish border returning from Ukraine.
Early reports had suggested that the former prime minister had been on the train with officials working for German chancellor Friedrich Merz and other EU leaders.
However, a spokeswoman who was with him has confirmed that Mr Johnson was on a different train and did not need to be evacuated.
It is understood that the former PM is planning to put out a statement once it is clear what happened to a different train on the track.
The drone attack is one of the most serious against EU leaders by Russia but it is not clear yet whether it was an accident or intentional.
