Zelenskyy confirms Russian strike on train carrying former CIA director

According to Zelenskyy, a Russian drone attacked a passenger train in Volyn carrying foreign officials who had arrived in Ukraine on a visit. Former CIA Director David Petraeus was among the passengers.

Following the attack, the foreign officials had to evacuate near the border with Poland. Zelenskyy said representatives from European countries were also on the train.

The Ukrainian president suggested that Russia may have known that Americans were on board. At the same time, he noted that he cannot state this for certain, though he personally leans toward this version.

"Maybe they didn't know that some Americans had been there or maybe, oppositely, they knew, because I don't trust them. I think that they knew," Zelenskyy said. "That's why Europeans, Americans, the big delegation had been in this train, and they attacked."

Zelenskyy did not claim that the presence of Americans was the reason for the Russian strike. Rather, his remark concerned speculation over whether Russia could have known the passenger composition in advance.

What is known about the train attack

Earlier, on September 13, Russia struck railway infrastructure near the Ukrainian-Polish border. A Russian drone hit the locomotive of a passenger train in Volyn region, about two kilometers from the Polish border.

According to Der Spiegel, shortly before the attack, a train carrying German Chancellor's adviser Günter Sautter, other European diplomats, and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was at Yahodyn station.

At the same time, Ukrainian state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia said that another train was at Yahodyn station during the attack. Former CIA Director David Petraeus was traveling on that train.

Ukrzaliznytsia suggested that the Russian drone may have been targeting the diplomatic train specifically. It had left the station earlier than planned due to changes in the train schedule prompted by the security situation.