NATO Jets Shoot Down Drone Over Lithuania as Russian Strike Hits Train 800 Meters From Poland

NATO fighter jets shot down a drone over Lithuania on Tuesday, while a separate Russian drone strike hit a passenger train near Ukraine's border with Poland, prompting European Union leaders to demand unity and stronger support for Kyiv [242068][241499].

The train strike occurred just 800 meters from a border crossing with Poland, according to officials. The attack hit the locomotive of a passenger train traveling on the Kyiv-Warsaw route, a key corridor used by foreign officials and diplomats [240831][240241].

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt were both traveling on that route around the time of the attack, though neither was on the train when it was struck. Ukrainian Railways said Johnson's train may have been the target [240483][241328][240241].

No casualties were reported in the strike [240421].

The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the strike was intended to intimidate Western countries supporting Ukraine. She called on allies to show they "are not scared" [240916][241499].

France accused Russia of deliberately targeting the train to "intimidate Europeans, to discourage them and, above all, to divide them" [240889].

Poland scrambled fighter jets and helicopters in response to the attack. Polish and Ukrainian officials condemned the strike as an escalation [240831][240421].

The attack came as Russia launched 453 drones at Ukraine overnight, continuing an intensified air campaign [240831].

In a separate incident, NATO fighter jets shot down a drone over Lithuania after it entered the country's airspace overnight. Denmark also reported that a Russian frigate fired flares at one of its military helicopters monitoring the ship in the Baltic Sea [242068].

Analysts say Russia appears to be testing how far it can push NATO and the European Union without triggering direct conflict [242068].