The former Prime Minister was evacuated as he was traveling to Poland.
Boris Johnson had been in Kyiv for a security conference (Image: Getty)
A train carrying Boris Johnson was evacuated after a Russian drone attack on a railway line in west Ukraine. The former Prime Minister was travelling towards Poland after attending a security conference in Kyiv when the incident happened.
Mr Johnson, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, is understood to have escaped unharmed. The privately charted train carrying Mr Johnson and other dignatries was stopped and evacuated at around 5am local time on Sunday morning, according to reports. Another nearby train was hit as Russia launched an assault on the Ukraine-Poland border.
Boris Johnson, pictured with Volodymyr Zelensky, is a staunch supporter of Ukraine (Image: Getty)
Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt was among those on the train with Mr Johnson.
“This wasn’t our train [that was hit], but the one just minutes after us by the [Polish] border crossing,” he said.
“It was evacuated as the [Russian] drone approached and no one was hurt.”
Boris Johnson with Volodymyr Zelensky in 2022 (Image: Getty)
“Our train just had an evacuation warning but could proceed to Dorohusk.
“The [Russian] attacks against [Ukraine] are intensifying.”
Günter Sautter, foreign and security policy advisor to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, was also on the “special train”, as well as European security advisers, members of the German Bundestag, diplomats and scientists, reports Der Spiegel.
It is thought they had been attending the Yalta European Strategy (YES) in the Ukrainian capital.
Everybody was unharmed and the train continued with its journey after no more drones were detected, reports say.
It came after another train, carrying 206 people, on the Kyiv-Warsaw line was hit by a Russian drone near the Polish border.
Ukrainian railway authorities said nobody was injured in the incident.
State-owned operator Ukrainian Railways claimed Russia was systemically attacking its network and that staff were on “high alert”.
President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “deliberately” targeting the train.
Trains from Poland are the main way into Ukraine as airspace in the country remains closed due to the war.
Russia has ramped up attacks on border crossing areas in western Ukraine in a bid disrupt Kyiv’s logistics.
NATO member Poland accused Vladimir Putin of “escalating” the conflict after a drone attack near a border crossing.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha reported a drone had hit the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing — a key link between Ukraine and Poland.
He described the incident as “barbaric”, adding: “This is Putin’s terror ‘knocking’ directly on the doors of the EU and NATO. Russian barbarians are at your gate, dear partners.”
Robin Wagener, a Green Party MP in Germany’s Bundestag, was on the train with Mr Johnson and warned the attacks are a “dangerous escalation”.
He told Der Spiegel: “Russia is becoming increasingly unscrupulous and is playing with fire right on the border of the European Union and NATO; we must finally put a clear stop to this terror.”
At least two people were killed by Russian attacks overnight in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine.
Nightmare for Andy Burnham as Reform win 7 by-elections with Labour smashed in 1 key vote
The Reform UK leader took to X following Reform UK victories in a series of council by-elections.
Rachel Reeves says Andy Burnham will be next Prime Minister
Nigel Farage has hailed seven council by-election wins for Reform UK. The Reform leader took to X to celebrate the victories in town halls across the country following ballots yesterday.
He said: “Good news! Reform won seven council by-elections last night. Take the St Helens Town Centre Ward, last up in 2022. We went from 0% to 39%, smashing Labour. The Conservatives got 3.6%. They are no longer a national party.
“In Wilnecote Ward in Tamworth, we thrashed the Conservatives. Our vote was up +33%, theirs down -20%. We also won big in Cambridgeshire, Rhyl South, Nuneaton and Staffordshire. Across the country, people get it. Britain is broken. Only Reform will fix it!”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Image: Getty)
It comes as Reform has been consistently leading national opinion polls.
The party also swept to victory at May’s local elections, where Labour faced a drubbing, but has not been successful in recent Westminster by-elections, including Makerfield and Gorton and Denton.
But Labour could receive a bounce following Sir Keir Starmer‘s resignation, with Andy Burnham looking set to enter 10 Downing Street within weeks.
Polling by More in Common found that in a hypothetical general election with Mr Burnham as Labour leader, the party would beat Reform UK – but only by a single point.
The survey suggested Labour would win 27% of the vote ahead of Reform on 26% and the Conservatives on 23%.
If Mr Burnham was not leader, Reform takes 28%, Labour 22% and the Tories 21%, according to the poll.
The new Makerfield MP is likely to be installed as leader on July 17 if a challenger does not emerge.