Boris Johnson Escapes Russian Drone Strike in Ukraine
Boris Johnson Escapes Russian Drone Strike in Ukraine
The News
Former British prime minister Boris Johnson escaped a Russian drone strike on a Ukrainian train on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2026, and came away swinging at Vladimir Putin.
The Daily Mail reported Johnson was aboard a train hit by a Russian drone near the Polish border. The Independent reported the drone struck the train running behind his, minutes after his own passed.
Both accounts agree on the core of it: Johnson was on a Ukrainian rail line when a Russian drone hit a train on that route, and he walked away from it.
What Is Not Yet Clear
The two published accounts differ on whether the drone hit Johnson's train or the one immediately behind it. Casualty figures from the strike have not been reported by the sources covering the story.
Timeline
Johnson travels by train in Ukraine, on a route running toward the Polish border, and a Russian drone strikes a train on that line.
The Daily Mail reports Johnson was aboard a train hit by a Russian drone near the Polish border.
The Independent reports the drone hit the train behind the one Johnson was on, minutes after his had passed, and that Johnson hit out at Putin over the attack.
Reactions
Johnson publicly attacked Putin after the strike, according to The Independent, which reported the former prime minister hit out at the Russian leader over the drone attack on the rail line he had just travelled.
Johnson has been one of the loudest Western voices for arming Ukraine since Russia's invasion, and has continued travelling to the country since leaving office.
No response from the Kremlin or from the Ukrainian government was reported by the sources covering the strike.
What's Next
Ukrainian authorities have not yet released a damage or casualty count for the strike, and that accounting is the next thing to watch.
Expect Johnson to keep making the case for more Western weapons for Kyiv — a near miss on a civilian rail line is the kind of story he has built his post-Downing Street advocacy around.
More
Ukraine's railways are the main way officials, aid workers and foreign visitors move around the country, because commercial flights have been grounded since the invasion began. Visiting Western politicians almost always arrive by overnight train from Poland.
That makes the rail network both a lifeline and a target, and it puts foreign dignitaries on the same tracks Russian drones are aimed at.
Poll
Should Western politicians keep travelling into Ukraine by train?
Chicago Mayor Johnson Runs Again Despite Low Approval
Johnson Backs Texas Candidate Despite 'Detestable' Video
Sep 13, 2026
Trump Doubles Down on United Ireland Amid Protests
Sep 13, 2026
Kosovo Parliament Re-elects Kurti After Long Deadlock
Sep 13, 2026
Ex-Anthropic Researcher's Doomsday Thread Ignites AI Backlash
Sep 13, 2026
Johnson Wants AI CEOs Summoned Before Any Law
Sep 13, 2026
Saudi Pipeline Outage Threatens 4% of Oil Supply
Sep 13, 2026
Xi Presses BRICS to Broker Middle East Peace
Sep 13, 2026
Russia Hits Ukraine Power Sites Before Winter
Sep 13, 2026
Birds, Not Drones, Scramble NATO Jet Over Lithuania
Sep 13, 2026
Scotland, Wales, NI Leaders Demand Breakup Referendums
Sep 13, 2026
Beijing Bans Drone Possession Inside the City
Sep 13, 2026
Modi Warns BRICS of Supply Chain Shocks
Sep 13, 2026
American Pope Marks 9/11 With Peace Appeal
Sep 13, 2026
Turkey Blocks LGBT Accounts, Detains 26 in Raids
Sep 13, 2026
Israeli Strike Kills Two in Gaza City
Sep 13, 2026
Iran Says Ship Struck Near Hormuz, One Dead
Sep 13, 2026
Anthropic CEO Urges AI Slowdown; Altman, Musk Agree
Sep 13, 2026
Labour Eyes Donation Curbs After Reform's £72m Haul
Sep 13, 2026
Badenoch Leads UK Backlash Over Trump's Ireland Remark
Sep 13, 2026
Sep 13, 2026