Russian drone that delayed Zelenskyy’s plane crashed 160 kilometers from Chisinau airport
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Zelenskyy's plane was delayed due to a Russian drone that crashed 160 km from the Chisinau airport (Photo: Office of the President)
A Russian drone that led to the delay of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane as it was leaving Moldova for Norway crashed about 160 kilometers from Chisinau International Airport, The Associated Press reported on Sept. 10.
On Sept. 8, the drone fell into a sunflower field near a village in Moldova’s Rîșcani district. Four fires broke out after the crash, but no one was hurt.
Moldovan government spokesman Dumitru Corici said the country’s airspace was closed in the second half of the day to protect aircraft already in the sky. Three flights were delayed, including the plane carrying Zelenskyy.
Moldovan authorities confirmed that the drone crashed and exploded about 160 kilometers from Chisinau’s international airport. After the restrictions were lifted, Zelenskyy’s plane was able to depart with a delay.
Before entering Moldova’s airspace, the drone had crossed from Romania. There, on the territory of the NATO member state, its movement was tracked over several northeastern counties. Two Spanish Air Force F-18 fighter jets were scrambled to monitor its trajectory, after which the drone re-entered Moldovan airspace.
Moldovan police said specialists found wreckage including an engine and characteristics similar to Geran-type drones. A large crater was also recorded at the site. Experts are continuing their examination to determine the type and weight of the drone’s explosive payload.
On Sept. 8, Zelenskyy and his wife flew to Norway to attend the funeral of King Harald and to hold talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. Store later said the Ukrainian president’s plane had nearly been hit by a drone during takeoff from Moldova.
Moldova’s ambassador to the United States, Vladislav Kulminski, suggested that the Russian drone may have entered Moldovan airspace deliberately at the moment Zelenskyy’s plane was at Chisinau airport, but stressed that it was too early to speak of a direct assassination attempt against the president.
At the same time, sources in Ukraine’s presidential office told public broadcaster Suspilne that Zelenskyy’s plane was not in the air at the same time as the Russian drone that entered Moldova, and that Ukraine had been monitoring its flight and waiting until the UAV disappeared from radar.
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