--- title: "Zelensky Says Russian Drone Attacked Train Carrying Former CIA Director Petraeus in Volyn" description: "In an interview with CBS News, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a Russian drone attacked a train carrying foreign officials in Volyn, among whom, according to him, was former CIA Director David Petraeus." date: 2026-09-15T19:50:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelensky-russian-drone-attack-train-petraeus-volyn tags: [ukraine-war, zelensky, russia, drone-attack, train, david-petraeus, diplomacy, poland-border] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Zelensky Says Russian Drone Attacked Train Carrying Former CIA Director Petraeus in Volyn ![Volodymyr Zelensky in his office commenting on the Russian drone attack on a train carrying former CIA Director Petraeus in Volyn](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/16/zelensky-drone-attack-train-petraeus-volyn/zelensky-drone-attack-train-petraeus-volyn-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - In a CBS News interview, Zelensky stated that a Russian drone attacked a train carrying foreign officials in Volyn, including former CIA Director David Petraeus. - Zelensky suggested that Russia may have known in advance about the presence of Americans on the train, but did not assert this as a proven fact. - On September 13, a drone hit the locomotive of a passenger train in Volyn approximately two kilometers from the border with Poland. - Der Spiegel and Ukrzaliznytsia disagree on which specific train (with Johnson/Sautter or with Petraeus) was at the station at the moment of the strike. In an interview with the American TV channel CBS News, cited by RBC-Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about an incident involving a Russian drone attack on a passenger train in Volyn. According to him, the carriages carried foreign officials who had arrived in Ukraine on a visit — among them, as the head of state emphasized, was former Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency David Petraeus, as well as representatives of European countries. After the strike, Zelensky said, the foreign representatives had to evacuate near the border with Poland. ### Zelensky's Statement on Possible Russian Awareness Commenting on the circumstances of the strike, Zelensky suggested that the Russian side may have known in advance about the presence of Americans on the train. At the same time, he explicitly noted that he cannot state this with certainty, but personally leans toward this version. "Maybe they didn't know that Americans were there, or maybe they did know, because I don't trust them. I think they knew," Zelensky stated. "That's why, despite the fact that Europeans, Americans and a large delegation were on this train, they still carried out the attack." Importantly, the president did not claim that the presence of Americans was the cause of the strike: the discussion was exclusively about the assumption of whether Russia could have known the passengers' composition in advance. ### Course of the September 13 Attack As noted in the materials, on September 13 Russia struck a railway near the Ukrainian-Polish border. A Russian drone hit the locomotive of a passenger train in Volyn approximately two kilometers from the border with Poland. According to Der Spiegel, shortly before the attack, a train was at Yagodyn station carrying German Chancellor's advisor Günter Sautter, other European diplomats, and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. ### Contradictory Data The sources' accounts diverge on a key question — which specific train was at the station at the moment of the strike and who exactly was riding in it. According to Der Spiegel, shortly before the attack, a diplomatic train with Günter Sautter and Boris Johnson was at Yagodyn station. Meanwhile, Ukrzaliznytsia stated that at the time of the actual attack, a different train was at Yagodyn station, carrying former CIA Director David Petraeus. Thus, the same event is described with different passenger compositions and different time references, making it impossible to definitively establish which specific train was hit and which of the listed individuals was aboard at the moment of the strike. ### Ukrzaliznytsia's Version of the Strike's Target Ukrzaliznytsia suggested that the Russian drone may have been aimed specifically at the diplomatic train. According to their data, this train left the station earlier than scheduled due to timetable changes related to the security situation. This version is consistent with Zelensky's words that the attack was carried out despite the presence of a large international delegation on the train, and it reinforces his assumption about the possible awareness of the Russian side regarding the route and composition. At the time of preparing this material, independent confirmation of the full list of passengers of the hit train and the exact target of the strike is absent: the positions of Zelensky, Der Spiegel, and Ukrzaliznytsia partially overlap but do not match in the details. The fact of the drone attack on a railway train near the Polish border on September 13 is confirmed by several sources, while the passenger composition and the attacker's intentions remain the subject of contradictory statements. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Zelensky Confirms Russian Strike on Train Carrying Former CIA Director: I Think the Russians Knew](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zelenskiy-pidtverdiv-udar-rf-potyagu-eksdirektorom-1789501611.html) - Первичный источник заявления Зеленского в интервью CBS News: атака дрона на поезд с иностранными чиновниками, включая Петреуса, и предположение об осведомленности РФ. - [Attack on Train Near the Polish Border: Washington Post Journalist Describes What Happened](https://www.unian.net/war/yagodin-zhurnalist-washington-post-rasskazal-o-napadenii-na-poezd-13500270.html) - Контекст атаки у границы с Польшей; детали из уст очевидца/журналиста, согласуются с фактом удара. - [Russian Drone Hit a Train with Passengers: Fire Engulfed the Carriages — First Details](https://tsn.ua/ru/ukrayina/russkiy-dron-popal-v-poezd-s-passazhirami-ogon-ohvatil-vagony-pervye-detali-3169403.html) - Подтверждение факта попадания дрона в поезд с пассажирами и возгорания вагонов. - [Diplomatic Train May Have Been the Target: UZ Reveals Details of Attack Near the Polish Border](https://www.unian.net/war/ataka-na-stanciyu-yagodin-podrobnosti-udara-rf-vblizi-poezda-s-inostrannymi-diplomatami-13498542.html) - Контекст атаки у границы с Польшей; детали из уст очевидца/журналиста, согласуются с фактом удара. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Who, according to Zelensky, was on the attacked train? **A:** According to Zelensky's statement in a CBS News interview, the train carried foreign officials who had arrived in Ukraine on a visit — including former CIA Director David Petraeus and representatives of European countries. ### Q: Did Zelensky claim that the strike was carried out specifically because of the Americans? **A:** No. Zelensky did not claim that the presence of Americans was the cause of the strike. He merely suggested that the Russian side may have known the passengers' composition in advance, and noted that he personally leans toward this version but cannot state it with certainty. ### Q: What is the contradiction between the sources regarding the train's composition? **A:** Der Spiegel reports that shortly before the attack, a train with Günter Sautter and Boris Johnson was at Yagodyn station, while Ukrzaliznytsia states that at the moment of the strike a different train was at the station, carrying David Petraeus. Based on the available data, it is not possible to definitively establish which train was hit.