Days after the Sept. 13 Russian attack on railway infrastructure near Poland, Russian sources began spreading news that Ukraine had organized it to blame Russia. According to Ukrzaliznytsia, a railway company, the Russian drone may have targeted a diplomatic train with EU security advisers and Boris Johnson, former UK Prime Minister.
What happened?
On Sept. 15, pro-Russian telegram channels (like “Odessa Za Pobedu”) and several X accounts spread news about the attack on a railway infrastructure. They falsely attributed the claims to Alex Younger, the former head of MI6, and presented the message as if he believed Ukrainian intelligence had organized the attack on the railway infrastructure to blame Russia and strain its relations with EU countries.
As “proof,” the posts shared screenshots that seemed to show reports by international media outlets, including the BBC or The Guardian.
“The foreign press has an alternative version of what happened to Boris Johnson: ‘The train carrying Boris Johnson and the former CIA director may have been targeted by Ukrainian intelligence,’ Alex Younger reportedly said. The former MI6 chief believes that the attack near the Ukrainian-Polish border was an attempt by Ukrainian intelligence to drag European countries into the conflict,” posts claim.
Analysis
Firstly, we examined the images shared in the posts and used the available details to search for the original articles on the official websites of the BBC, The Guardian, The Independent and Al Jazeera.
Our search showed that the images were fabricated using real articles and the visual style of these media outlets. The original reports about the Sept. 13 Russian drone attack on railway infrastructure do not mention Alex Younger, the former head of MI6. Instead, they identify Russia as responsible for the attack. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
We also checked claims about Younger’s alleged comments and found that he could not have made them. Younger died of cancer on June 2, 2026, more than three months before the attack.
Russia acknowledged strikes on railway infrastructure
On Sep. 13, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported strikes on railway infrastructure in western Ukraine, claiming the facilities they targeted were used to transport military equipment from European countries. The ministry later said the strikes continued throughout the day.
The following day, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov was asked about the drone strike on a locomotive near the Ukrainian-Polish border and accusations against Russia. He said that Russian forces were carrying out their tasks “across the entire territory of Ukraine.”
According to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, Russian attacks have damaged or destroyed more than 500 locomotives since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. In 2026 alone, Russia reportedly struck 120 passenger cars, 304 locomotives and 43 railway stations.
Russian authorities and military officials say railway infrastructure used to transport military supplies from EU countries is among their targets. At the same time, Russian drones have repeatedly struck passenger trains as well (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
The claims are therefore false: the screenshots Russian sources presented as reports by international media were fabricated, and Alex Younger could not have made the statement attributed to him. The posts appear to be another example of a recurring Russian propaganda narrative, aiming to sour Ukraine’s international relations.
Author: Anna Ormanzhy
Translator: Mariia Kritsak
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