Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said on Sept. 9 that a Russian-made drone approached the aircraft set to carry Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from Moldova to Oslo, forcing Moldovan authorities to shut their airspace before the flight could depart.
CNN reported the same day that the Russian-made jet-powered drone entered Moldovan airspace on Sept. 8. Moldova temporarily sealed off its airspace as a precaution, and the aircraft waiting at Chisinau International Airport to take Zelensky onward was allowed to leave only after officials confirmed the drone had crashed. The Kremlin had not commented on the incident.
Officials said more than one drone was involved
Moldovan officials said the Sept. 8 breach was not limited to a single drone. A second drone continued into neighboring Romania, prompting Spanish F/A-18 fighter jets assigned to NATO air policing missions to scramble from Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base.
Moldova’s Defense Ministry said its air defense monitoring system detected a drone entering the country’s airspace from the direction of Ukraine at 4:20 p.m. local time on Sept. 8. Moldovan President Maia Sandu later condemned the incident publicly, calling it a “serious threat” to people’s lives.
Ukrainian official on board said the distance was unusually close
The Financial Times reported that a Ukrainian official traveling on the presidential aircraft confirmed the episode and said the drone appeared to be a Shahed model that Russian forces have been using frequently. According to that official, the drone came close enough to the plane to raise suspicion that the aircraft carrying Zelensky himself may have been the intended target.
Even so, whether the drone was actually aimed at Zelensky personally remains unresolved. Moldovan Ambassador to the United States Vladislav Kulminski said the investigation is still underway. He added that Zelensky often transits through Moldovan airspace during foreign trips, and similar episodes may not have been without precedent. Ukrainian authorities have opened an investigation into the case.
Moldovan ambassador said the timing did not look like routine surveillance
Speaking to CNN, Kulminski said it was hard to explain the timing as a simple patrol or intelligence-gathering mission when a jet-powered drone entered Moldovan airspace while the Ukrainian president’s plane was at the airport. Based on the available signs, he said he did not think the incident was likely to have been a mere accident.
This was not the first drone threat Moldova has faced this year. On Aug. 27, during Moldova’s national day, Sandu, Zelensky and Romanian President Nicusor Dan were attending a military parade in the capital when at least five Russian-made drones entered Moldovan airspace at the same time.
Drone broke apart after about 160 kilometers, while Zelensky continued the trip
According to The Associated Press, the drone flew about 160 kilometers before breaking apart and exploding over the outskirts of Chisinau airport. NBC News said Moldovan police later found debris in a sunflower field in the Riscani area. A fire briefly broke out, but no one was injured. Bomb disposal personnel found features in the propulsion system that matched the Geran drone type widely deployed by Russian forces.
After the incident, Zelensky still arrived in Oslo as scheduled to join other guests in paying respects following the death of Norway’s King Harald V. Kyiv Independent reported that before the funeral, Zelensky and Store also exchanged views on air defense cooperation and the Freyja project.
After wrapping up his Nordic trip, Zelensky departed for Canada on Sept. 9. He is set to appear at Prime Minister Carney’s cabinet meeting and deliver remarks there. First Lady Olena Zelenska is also expected to accompany him, and the two are scheduled to remain in Canada through Sept. 11.