By MARTIN BECKFORD, POLICY EDITOR

Published: 22:13 BST, 13 September 2026 | Updated: 22:47 BST, 13 September 2026

Trains carrying Boris Johnson and foreign dignitaries were the intended targets of a Russian drone attack in Ukraine, experts fear.

The former Prime Minister was on a charter train from Kyiv when it received a drone alert as it approached the Polish border.

Amid fears of a targeted attack, a last-minute timetable change allowed it to speed across the border into Poland earlier than scheduled.

Just over an hour later, a train on the same route was evacuated, with terrified passengers forced to run for safety as a nearby stationary locomotive exploded in flames after being struck. The jet-propelled drone hit only a mile inside Ukrainian territory. No-one was injured.

Security experts said last night the near-miss could be ‘a Mafia-style message straight from the Kremlin’ aimed at Mr Johnson – a staunch supporter of Ukraine who was returning from a security conference in Kyiv.

But a defiant Mr Johnson told the Daily Mail: ‘Nothing will deter me from using Ukrainian railways or going back to Ukraine.’

Passengers on the charter trains included UK national security adviser Jonathan Powell and former CIA chief David Petraeus. Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt said passengers on his train had been told to prepare for evacuation, but were then allowed to continue their journey.

The terrifying escalation demonstrates that Vladimir Putin is ‘playing with fire right on the border of the European Union and Nato’, said a German MP who was on the same train as Mr Johnson.

Frantic footage shared to social media showed passengers desperately fleeing the train prior to the attack

This photo shows the damage to the front of the locomotive in the aftermath of the drone strike

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It is now feared that an earlier train carrying Boris Johnson (pictured last week) and other political figures was the target of the attack 

Robin Wagener, a Green Party member of the Bundestag, said: ‘These drone attacks are blind terror against Ukrainian civilians and a dangerous escalation. We must finally put a clear stop to this terror.’

Ukrainian rail chiefs said a drone strike so close to its border with an EU country was ‘unprecedented’ and raised fears that Mr Johnson and his fellow VIPs had been targeted. 

‘This is the first time the Russians have launched a massive attack towards our western frontier,’ Ukrainian railways boss Oleksandr Pertsovskyi said.

‘Whether or not it’s a coincidence that this happened at the same time as a train carrying high-profile foreign figures was passing through this specific crossing, that we cannot say. But it certainly poses many questions.’

Daily Mail columnist Mr Johnson, 62, was among scores of foreign dignitaries who had travelled to Kyiv for a major conference on the country’s security, which finished on Saturday evening.

As members of the European delegation were approaching the Yahodyn crossing to Poland on an overnight train to Warsaw shortly after 7am local time, some passengers were given an evacuation warning.

But after being dispatched earlier than scheduled, the train safely crossed into Poland at 7.46am. At 9.15am, the next train on the route was evacuated, and a shunting locomotive burst into flames when it was struck just before 9.30am.

A nearby petrol station also exploded after being hit, Ukrainian media reported, with a fireball spreading to nearby lorries.

Peter Dickinson, editor of Ukraine Alert at the Atlantic Council think-tank, told the Mail: ‘This was a Mafia-style message straight from the Kremlin.’

Describing it as a ‘deliberate and calculated attack’, he said Moscow would have been ‘very well aware that plenty of senior foreign officials would be traveling along that train route’.

‘It is part of a broader intimidation campaign currently being waged by the Kremlin as Putin seeks to bully Europe into abandoning Ukraine,’ he added.

Maksym Kuzakhmetov, a prominent Russian journalist and historian in exile, said: ‘I have no difficulty whatsoever believing this was a deliberate, planned attack.

‘The Kremlin has little hesitation in ordering the physical elimination of anyone Putin comes to regard as a personal enemy.

Mr Johnson and other officials had been in Kyiv for the 2026 annual meeting of the Yalta European Strategy. He is pictured addressing the conference earlier this year in February

Mr Johnson hit out later on Sunday at Russian leader Vladimir Putin (pictured on Sunday) in a post on X 

‘Western politicians who openly back Ukraine are anathema to him, especially someone as outspoken and steadfast in his support for Kyiv as Boris Johnson.’

Mr Johnson’s train was also carrying Gunter Sautter, one of German chancellor Friedrich Merz’s closest foreign and security-policy advisers, as well as security advisers from France and Italy.

They were returning via what should have been the only safe route out of Ukraine after discussions with president Volodymyr Zelensky’s government about possible peace negotiations with Russia.

The trains were all passing through the Yahodyn border crossing, one of the country’s most important links with the EU following the suspension of civilian air travel.

The Conservatives described yesterday’s incident as a ‘stark escalation’ by Moscow and urged the Government to increase defence spending. Stuart Anderson, who was appointed shadow minister for war preparedness yesterday, said: ‘It is yet another reminder that Russian aggression is a real and growing threat to European security and, ultimately, our own national security.’

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘Reckless, dangerous attacks on civilian infrastructure so close to Poland underline the wider security threat Russia poses.’

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said ‘Putin’s terror was knocking directly on the doors of the EU and Nato’.

‘Putin needs to understand that his barbarism will be met with decisive action. This is the only way to stop him.’

A Charlie Kirk statue erected outside the Turning Point USA headquarters in Arizona has been vandalized. 

The statue, which was unveiled on Thursday – the first anniversary of Kirk’s death – was found covered in red spray paint on Sunday morning in Phoenix. 

Officers with the Phoenix Police Department were called to the scene around 9am after someone reported the defaced memorial.

The bronze statue also had paint on it that appeared to be concentrated on the neck of the statue – an apparent mockery of where Kirk was shot. A frowny face was also drawn on its torso.

Another memorial outside the building, which features the late conservative next to a quote that reads: ‘May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving Savior,’ was also vandalized. 

A large red ‘X’ was drawn on his face, and red paint covered the word ‘Jesus’, as flowers and American flags lay near the memorial, photos show. 

It’s unclear if any suspects have been identified. 

The anti-Christian theme of the vandalism has upset Kirk’s supporters, with one online user reacting: ‘These animals will burn in hell for all eternity.’ 

Another larger memorial for the late conservative was also defaced

‘So, killing Charlie wasn’t enough. So noted,’ wrote another. 

Kirk was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. 

Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, co-founded and ran the conservative youth organization. 

The 31-year-old father and husband was shot in the neck by a single rifle shot while he hosted a debate event in front of roughly 3,000 people. 

He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

A manhunt was quickly launched for his alleged shooter, who was later identified as Tyler Robinson, 22. 

The Utah native surrendered to the local sheriff’s office after his parents allegedly convinced him to turn himself in following his confession to them. 

The 31-year-old father and husband was shot in the neck by a single rifle shot while he hosted a debate event in front of roughly 3,000 people

Robinson has been charged with ten criminal counts, including aggravated murder. That charge makes him eligible for the death penalty.

On September 1, a judge ruled that Robinson’s trial will move forward after prosecutors argued there was enough evidence against him. Meanwhile, his defense claimed the evidence was insufficient. 

His defense attorney then entered pleas of not guilty on all counts on his behalf. 

Robinson’s next court date is scheduled for October 23. 

Before the latest ruling, Utah County prosecutor Ryan McBride told the court: ‘It’s not difficult to understand the motive here. 

‘The defendant’s views were repugnant to the positions that Charlie Kirk famously took.’ 

The state has pointed to Robinson and Kirk’s opposing views on same-sex marriage and gender transitioning after it was revealed that the alleged shooter was in a romantic relationship with his former roommate, Lance Twiggs. 

A manhunt was quickly launched for his alleged shooter, who was later identified as Tyler Robinson, 22

Twiggs told investigators that he had been considering transitioning around the time Kirk was shot and killed, according to prosecutors. 

A note that Robinson wrote to Twiggs, who also went by Luna, was also presented by prosecutors. 

It read: ‘I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it. I wish we could have lived in a world where this was not necessary.’

The vandalism comes just days after chaos erupted in New York City after another Charlie Kirk statue was displayed. 

The life-sized statue was erected in Times Square on the one-year anniversary of Kirk’s death after sculptor Sergio Furnaru created the piece. 

Madness quickly ensued after its installation as both Kirk supporters and critics clashed on the streets.  

The Daily Mail contacted the Phoenix Police Department and Turning Point USA for comment. 

Donald Trump now has a new proposed timetable for his war with Iran, albeit without a clear purpose. Heading to the Republicans’ midterm convention in Texas this week, the US president told reporters the war would end “immediately after the election”. This is coming from a president seven months into a conflict that he predicted would last only weeks.

For all that time, the US has been jostling with Iran for military and strategic control over the Strait of Hormuz while seeking to further degrade the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ military capabilities. But without strategic direction, victory is impossible and Iran’s leverage over the Strait allows it to keep defining the negotiating battlefield.

Capability without a definition of victory produces exactly what we have watched for weeks: tit-for-tat strikes that have failed to move the needle on the Strait, let alone Iran’s nuclear program.

But behind the shortcomings of Trump’s kinetic application of hard power lies a more profound failure. As much as wars depend on a coherent military strategy, they also need a strategic narrative – a story that provides and sustains the legitimacy of war. Trump’s war has never had one.

With the mid-term elections looming in November, the political costs of that absence are only becoming more acute for Trump and the Republican party.

Consider the inventory of justifications offered since February. Before the war began, Trump promised anti-government protesters that “help is on its way”. But when the bombing started it was about destroying Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Then, within a day, it was also about forcing regime change.

Over several months, none of these ambitions were realised. In August, the vice-president, JD Vance, announced a new hierarchy of aims: keeping oil and gas cheap for Americans as “goal No. 1”, with Iran’s nuclear question demoted to second place.

Last week Vance went further by insisting that there isn’t a “war” at all, even though Iran had fired missiles at Kuwait in retaliation to US strikes on the cities of Bandar Abbas, Ahvaz, Aghajari, and Sirik. With each new justification and framing of this conflict, the original rationale for the war becomes harder to identify.

This matters because legitimacy is itself a source of state influence, especially in the context of wars of choice. It is what generates societal resolve at home, sustains the support of allies, and preserves the institutional prestige of the military asked to do the fighting. Strategic narratives are the vehicle through which such legitimacy is achieved; they can convert painful sacrifice into a cost that is worth sustaining.

And there is now a great deal of sacrifice that has yet to be given meaning. US Navy sailors enforcing the blockade have suffered from low morale – one crew member of the USS Abraham Lincoln went overboard in August due to mental health, after a record deployment without a port call.

American military fatalities resulting from Iranian retaliatory strikes on US bases in the region have been quietly reclassified by the Pentagon and moved out of the war’s official death toll. There are mounting accusations of civilian casualties in Iran, where Iranian officials claim that a US strike targeted a wedding ceremony near the Hormuz coast last week that killed four.

Unconvincing narrative

These losses strain America’s image among allies. However, the audience that most needs convincing is Trump’s own. His Maga approach was built on the premise that: “Great nations do not fight endless wars” and his support base is clearly concerned about lengthy foreign entanglements. Yet these are the voters now being asked to absorb the war’s costs without a compelling story that justifies them.

Come the mid-terms, they will inevitably vote with inflation and gas prices in mind when they reach the ballot box. Polling already shows an erosion in support for the war.

Wars of choice have failed this legitimacy test before – sometimes before a single shot was fired. In August 2013, the then UK prime minister David Cameron asked parliament to sanction airstrikes against Syria’s Assad regime after chemical attacks and lost.

The government’s case rested on a story of salvation, national standing and the moral duty to act. But that narrative could not compete with a rival story of loss, in which intervention meant repeating the errors of Iraq: mission creep, the futile sacrifice of soldiers’ lives, and further damage to a reputation already bruised by two inconclusive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There is an uncomfortable lesson for Washington here. The British case suggests that once a public comes to view a war of choice through the frame of loss – futile sacrifice, eroded prestige, no discernible end – no quantity of firepower can restore its legitimacy. The problem Trump has is that he initiated a shooting war with Iran first, leaving the narrative vacuum to be filled afterwards. Now it is filled with images of a bombed wedding, exhausted sailors and vessels sitting stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.

Stories which successfully sustain public consent for military force often share two main ingredients: an immediate threat to the homeland, and an opportunity for the initiator to assume the role of saviour. Twenty-five years ago, the September 11 attacks supplied both in their most visceral form. This is why the invasion of Afghanistan garnered public and allied support.

Trump currently has neither of these to fall back on. There is no communicated threat to Americans at home and no one is being rescued. There is only a rotating stock of rationales, none of which has held long enough to become convincing.

Until his administration can communicate a narrative that speaks to an existential Iranian threat at home and casts America as the saviour of something worth saving, Trump’s story will be written for him.

He risks being remembered as just another gung-ho president who rushed into a Middle Eastern war he did not understand – the very legacy he promised voters he would never repeat.

Countryfile viewers got a look at an unusual activity

The latest edition of long-running BBC series Countryfile featured a guest who shared a warning over an unusual activity.

This Sunday’s episode (September 13) saw the show take a look at ‘an old estate in a modern world’. Its description from the TV listings explained that Joe Crowley, Datshiane Navanayagam and Adam Henson all head to Westacre in Norfolk to discover how a historic rural estate is adapting to survive in the modern world.

At a financially critical time of year, Datshiane looked at its valuable yet vulnerable crop of blueberries. They also met the owner to find out how traditional estates are diversifying and evolving to secure their future.

Joe joined the conservation team working to restore an important area of wet woodland, boosting biodiversity and creating habitats for wildlife. Their final spot was a tenant brewery crafting local ale before sampling some themselves in the village pub.

Meanwhile, Adam met the farm manager, who is looking at ways to help run the land in a more cost-effective way through collaboration between livestock and arable farming. However, one special guest took part in something very different.

The show also introduced Nicola Crockford who enjoys a unique pastime on the estate – river snorkelling. She described it as thrilling and said she gives the owners a different perspective of their land.

Footage showed Nicola in action as she drifted down the river with her camera. She said one of the things that owners are usually interested in finding out about, is how much trout are in their waters.

She said: “I love a mission. I love that the thing that gives me personal pleasure can also be useful and give other people pleasure. I feel so lucky, I feel so blessed to be given this treat in life.”

While in the river, she tries to film as much fish, food and everything she can find to make a record of what is below the surface. Later, as she’s in the water she told the camera: “Worries? What worries? There’s no worries, there’s no aches, no pains, this is heaven.”

Nicola recommended the activity to viewers but it came with a warning. She urged: “Obviously, don’t just get in the river without checking out on the website for health and safety. Getting landowners’ permission as necessary and that way you can have a wonderful snorkel.”

Over the years of snorkelling, Nicola claimed she has found other ‘extraordinary’ artefacts. These include skulls, a World War Two bomb and a horde of jewels. She said you never know what you could find.

According to the British Sub-Aqua Club website, river snorkelling is one of the “UK’s hidden gems”. They state that it allows divers to explore a a completely different environment from the coast on a rewarding, relaxed adventure.

Countryfile continues next Sundays at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Pro Ref, formerly PGMOL, have recognised that Erling Haaland’s winner in the Manchester derby was an error of judgment

Pro Ref have taken accountability for an ‘error of judgement’ during the Manchester derby and a review will take place after Erling Haaland’s winner was allowed to stand.Haaland scored the decisive goal for Manchester City against Manchester United when Josko Gvardiol’s cross deflected towards the back post, where the striker applied the finish.

Lisandro Martinez was positioned between Enzo Fernandez and Haaland, but the City midfielder launched himself toward the ball in an effort to convert a diving header. However, officials ruled that the former Chelsea man had not interfered with play.

The linesman initially raised his flag to deny 10‑man City, but VAR reviewed the incident and instructed Michael Oliver to award the goal. Further clarification has now been provided by Pro Ref, formerly PGMOL, who say VAR failed to recognise the likely impact of Fernandez’s position and should have recommended an on‑field review.

A Pro Ref spokesperson said: “Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday’s Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland’s awarded goal.

“The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position. In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.

“Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.”

The decision left Sky Sports co‑commentator Gary Neville baffled. “I’m going to need the offside law explaining to me, it’s lost me,” he said on air.

Meanwhile, Reds head coach Michael Carrick admitted he was deeply worried about the outcome, adding: “Confused, not even confused, we’ve put things in place to help referees’ decisions, screens, referees in an office somewhere. It’s more worrying about if that’s the interpretation about football.

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“If we’ve got people in place that are meant to understand the game of football or not interfering with play or impacting an attack, throwing your body at it with a defender next to him, it’s really worrying for me, if that’s how it’s interpreted. It’s a staggering decision. I can’t understand it once I seen it then the explanation almost makes it worse. Well, the explanation that he’s not interfering with play. Incredible.”

A furious Martinez made his feelings known after the game, saying he shifted towards Fernandez and away from Haaland because he was trying to score.

“I think he was offside,” he said. “And what I can’t understand is the rules, you know? He was there!

“I went to him because he was there in front of me. That’s why Haaland was free at the back [post]. I want to be calm now, I want to control myself. It is so hard. It is so hard because you lose a derby, you lose three points at home.

“Every season they [officials] come to our club and explain an hour, an hour-and-a-half the rules and they look so confident with that. Then after, five or six people [officials] doing this kind of mistake in the Premier League is unacceptable. It’s the best league in the world and you have the best teams and players in the world. We have to go home with this injustice.”

Haaland’s strike proved to be the winner, with City taking all three points despite being reduced to ten men. Phil Foden was sent off in the first half for a challenge on Bruno Fernandes.

Pro Ref have taken accountability after Erling Haaland’s controversial winner against Manchester United

Pro Ref have apologised to Manchester United for an ‘error of judgement’ to allow Erling Haaland’s Manchester City winner.

The organisation has provided clarity and taken accountability after it was deemed that Enzo Fernandez hadn’t interfered with play, despite being in an offside position when he made an attempt to steer home Josko Gvardiol’s cross.

A Pro Ref spokesperson said: “Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday’s Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland’s awarded goal.

“The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position.

“In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.

“Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.”

There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Mirror Sport will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible.

Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story.

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Speaking after his victory, Kerr referenced the “stick” he receives for not competing as much as others.

But he is in no doubt that it is because of that approach that he is able to seize the career-defining moments when they arrive.

In response to criticism from Ingebrigtsen over his decision to skip the European Championships in Birmingham, Kerr said he “was not a robot” and would continue to approach each season by targeting only a few competitions to avoid injury and maintain consistent high levels of performance.

While the Ultimate Championship was not one of those dates at the beginning of the year, it was no surprise that World Athletics made sure he could be present – nor that Kerr took the sport’s governing body up on the offer.

Kerr is, after all, blockbuster. He underlined his position as one of the sport’s biggest draws when he boldly announced his record-breaking intentions months in advance before delivering his historic mile performance in front of 60,000 British fans in July.

There were also no mistakes in Scotland, despite the pressure which came with his role as headline act in front of an expectant home crowd.

It is just 12 months since Kerr’s world title defence was ended by a calf tear in Tokyo.

But, having recovered to reach career-best fitness, the next three years now provide him with the opportunity to cement himself among the all-time greats.

With two World Championships – the second potentially in London – either side of the next Olympic Games, Kerr will continue to ignore the outside noise and follow his established winning formula.

“Obviously I get a lot of stick for not racing so much,” Kerr said. “But it allows me to come here fresh and ready to go.”

The incident happened at around 7.30pm on Sunday evening

Emergency services have tonight been in attendance at a serious road traffic incident in West Belfast.

It’s believed at least two cars collided at high speed with one another on the Monagh Bypass which links Kennedy Way with the Whiterock Road.

Footage shared on social media showed two badly damaged cars with members of the public attempting to assist those inside. Debris was scattered right across the four lanes and smoke was visible from one of the vehicles. The road remains closed as of 9pm on Sunday September 13.

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue and Police Service of Northern Ireland were also on the scene within minutes. A number of casualties were attended to at the scene.

No further details on injuries are known at this time.

Sinn Fein MLA Aisling Reilly said: “My thoughts are with everyone involved in the serious road crash on the Monagh Bypass at Áit na Móna this evening.

“The road is currently closed in both directions while emergency services deal with the incident. I would ask people to please avoid the area and allow those responding to the crash to do their work.”

Local councillor Paul Doherty posted on social media: “The Monagh Bypass remains closed in the Aitnamona/Turf Lodge direction and is expected to remain closed for some time while emergency services continue to deal with a serious road traffic collision.

“Please avoid the area if you can and allow emergency services to carry out their work. Thinking of everyone involved.”

A brief statement from the PSNI said: The Monagh bypass in west Belfast is currently closed in both directions between the Glen Road roundabout and the junction with Springfield Road following a road traffic collision. Diversions are in place.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Apple’s traditional September iPhone event was very different this year. The company’s new CEO, John Ternus, hosted it (though the former CEO Tim Cook made a guest appearance), announcing the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, Apple Watch ultra 4 and a folding phone. Here’s everything that was announced, including when they’re coming and how much they’ll cost.