This is a breaking news story and is being constantly updated by our reporters as the breaking news story develops
Boris Johnson’s train may have been the true target of a Russian drone strike on a Ukrainian railway, it is feared.
The ex-PM was saved as the train carrying him and other European diplomats departed earlier than scheduled amid fears of an attack.
They were close to the Polish border when the service behind was blown up by Russian forces.
Ukraine’s state railway company said Mr Johnson’s train had left Yahodyn station earlier than expected.
And they admitted it could have been Mad Vlad’s target.
Ukrzaliznytsia said in a statement: “It is entirely possible that the Russian drone’s intended target was the diplomatic train.”
It added that the service “departed the station earlier than scheduled after train timetables were adjusted in real time because of the constant threat of Russian strikes”.
Former Tory leader Mr Johnson – who was a staunch ally of Ukraine during his time in office – shared footage of the damaged locomotive and the railway track.
He fumed: “I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary locomotive on the Polish border this morning.
“What we can say for sure is that this is the kind of random and senseless attack Ukrainians are enduring every day — even on civilian railways.
“So far Putin has been responsible for the deaths of 1,700 staff of Ukrzaliznytsia — Ukrainian Railways.
“They and their daily passengers are absolutely heroic.”
He had been in Kyiv at the Yalta European Strategy summit over the weekend, where officials held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over a possible peace plan with Russia.
Following the incident, he said it was time for allies to give Ukraine the armaments they need in a bid to speed up their victory over Moscow.
Mr Johnson asked: “When are we going to give them the air defences they need? Why won’t we unfreeze Putin’s cash and give it to Ukraine? There is more than €140billion in a Belgian bank account – and about £10billion in London. Britain could show a lead.
“The Ukrainians are going to win — that much was clear from the last three days in their wonderful country. But we will get this dreadful war over much faster if we all get serious and give them what they need and deserve.”
Mr Johnson’s train was evacuated but allowed to continue its journey. The train which was struck was carrying 206 people from Kyiv to Warsaw.
An evacuation order was sounded around 15 minutes before the strike from a jet-propelled drone. Some passengers were seen running from the locomotive in fear for their lives after the incident.
Ex-Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt was also on the diplomatic train along with Mr Johnson. He said: “This wasn’t our train (that was hit), but the one minutes after us by the [Polish] border crossing. It was evacuated as the drone approached and no one was hurt.”
Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski branded Russia’s increasing attacks on Nato’s doorstep “an escalation”, adding: “It is precisely to prevent these strikes from spreading further into Europe that Ukrainian men and women fight every day, give their lives, and do not allow the aggression to expand.”
Moscow is understood to be behind several recent attacks in Europe, including on a warehouse in Britain and an airport in Germany.
The train attack came hours after US President Donald Trump warned Mr Zelensky to stop targeting Russia’s diesel fuel infrastructure in retaliatory attacks. He said it was “causing a shortage of diesel” which is “hurting the world”.
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