"I'm in horror": the train Olya Polyakova was on was evacuated three times, and a "Shahed" drone hit the composition — no one was hurt

Singer Olya Polyakova spoke about the attack by a Russian "Shahed" drone on the passenger train she and her 13-year-old daughter Alisa were travelling on, which was heading from Kyiv to Poland. According to the artist, passengers were evacuated three times due to the threat of a strike, and during the third evacuation a drone hit the train. The incident took place on September 13 on the territory of Volyn Oblast, two kilometres from the Polish border. There were no casualties.

"I'm in horror": Polyakova's account of the triple evacuation

In an interview published on Instagram and recounted by the outlet Wave RBC.UA, Polyakova explained why she did not immediately publish information about what happened: "When it's happening — you don't post anything." According to her, the train she was travelling on with her younger daughter stopped three times to evacuate passengers. The third time, as people were running into the field, a "Shahed" drone hit the composition. "We heard it, but, thank God, we were far away. Because we ran very fast. I was with my younger daughter. To be honest, I'm in horror," the singer admitted. She added that the experience had deeply affected her and that she plans to tell more about what happened.

Ukrzaliznytsia confirmation: strike on the locomotive in Volyn

Ukraine's railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, confirmed that on September 13 Russian military forces struck the locomotive of a passenger train in Volyn. The composition was located approximately two kilometres from the border with Poland. According to preliminary data, no one was hurt as a result of the attack. The threat was detected in advance by the railway's monitoring group, after which passengers were evacuated in a timely manner. It was precisely thanks to the early-warning system that people managed to leave the train before the drone hit.

Foreign officials on the same line

According to Der Spiegel, shortly before the attack a night train was travelling along the same railway line, carrying former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's adviser Günter Sautter, security advisers from other European governments, members of the Bundestag, diplomats and academics, who were returning from Kyiv. Due to the threat of a drone attack, the train was stopped, passengers were woken up for evacuation, but a stand-down was later declared because no additional drones were detected.

Karl Bildest's reaction: "A very good security system"

Former Swedish Prime Minister Karl Bildest, who was also on a trip from Kyiv, clarified on his X account that his train was a different one: "It was not our train, but one heading literally a few minutes after ours near the Polish border crossing. It was evacuated as a Russian drone approached, and no one was hurt. A very good security system. Our train only received an evacuation warning but was able to continue on to Dorohusk." Bildest also noted that Russian attacks on Ukraine are intensifying.

Context: pressure on the border logistics corridor

The incident involving the train Polyakova was on took place against the backdrop of ongoing pressure by Russian forces on Ukraine's railway infrastructure, especially in the regions bordering Poland. Volyn Oblast, through which a key logistics corridor from Kyiv to Europe runs, regularly becomes a target of drone attacks. The September 13 case once again drew attention to the safety of passenger transport in wartime and to the effectiveness of early threat-detection systems, which, according to witnesses and officials, worked this time.