Russia’s drones threaten Kyiv-bound Western officials as war effort stalls

Russian drone operations have increasingly targeted transport and logistics close to Ukraine’s western borders, posing risks to visiting officials and cross-border traffic. On September 13, a drone struck a locomotive of a passenger train about 5 km from the Polish border after attendees left the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv; among those affected were former UK prime minister Boris Johnson and other European political and security figures. Ukraine’s railway company said the passenger train’s locomotive had been hit, while other reports suggested a separate vehicle on a siding was struck. A petrol station roughly 2 km from Poland was also hit, damaging trucks. Separately, a Russian drone entered Moldovan airspace on September 8 as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane prepared to depart Chisinau, delaying the flight; Norway’s prime minister said the drone nearly struck the aircraft, though Moldova has not confirmed that claim. Russia has also struck four Ukrainian border crossings to Moldova and, according to Kremlin ambassador Rodion Miroshnik, described such strikes as intended to stop Western military aid reaching Kyiv. The attacks come amid setbacks for Russian ground forces in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces recaptured territory around Lyman, forcing Russian troops to retreat and reclaiming about 85 square kilometres (33 square miles) in Donetsk region. Russian offensives aimed at capturing the so-called “fortress belt” of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Druzhivka have repeatedly stalled, and commanders report attempts to outflank that belt from the north. Both sides have escalated strikes on energy and military infrastructure. Ukrainian forces have targeted Russian refineries—26 hit this year, eight in the past week—with assessments that about 30% of Russia’s refining capacity has been lost. Ukraine has also struck factories and aircraft in Russian territory, including a synthetic rubber plant in Samara and facilities in Taganrog and Rostov. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has launched roughly 2,100 drones and 78 missiles at Ukraine in the week referenced. International responses include a US congressional bill passed by both houses to impose secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil and gas. Russian officials have framed some strikes as efforts to prevent Western weapons reaching Ukraine; Moscow’s publicly stated negotiations terms condition talks on major Ukrainian territorial concessions in Donetsk. Ukrainian leaders and Western officials continue to travel to Kyiv despite the risks, and the incidents have prompted warnings from Polish and Ukrainian politicians about a possible intensification of Russian actions near NATO and EU borders.