The incident occurred on Tuesday, September 8, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was at Chisinau airport and preparing to fly to the funeral of King Harald V of Norway. Moldovan authorities temporarily closed the airspace after detecting a Russian jet-powered drone. The Ukrainian president's plane received permission to take off only after it was determined that the drone no longer posed a threat. CNN reported, citing the Associated Press, that the drone fell about 160 kilometers from the airport.
Ambassador of Moldova: It was probably not a coincidence
Moldova's ambassador to the United States, Vladislav Kulminski, told CNN that the incident was "probably not an accident" and noted the circumstances surrounding the drone's intrusion into the country's airspace.
We do not believe that jet-powered drones enter the territory of Moldova solely for observation purposes, at a time when the plane of the President of Ukraine is at the airport, Kulminski said.
CNN asked the ambassador whether Moldovan authorities believe the drone could have been aimed directly at Volodymyr Zelensky's plane. The investigation is ongoing and it is too early to tell, replied Kulminski.
However, he added that it is common knowledge that the President of Ukraine uses Moldovan airspace during his visits abroad. This is probably not the first time something like this has happened, he concluded.
Norwegian Prime Minister: Zelensky's plane was almost hit
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store was the first to publicly report that the drone could have come dangerously close to the Ukrainian president's plane. In an interview with Norwegian television NRK, he said that "the plane was almost hit by a drone when it was about to take off from Moldova; this is the reality we are facing."
However, Store did not specify how close the drone was to the aircraft or from what source it received information about the incident. Reuters confirmed that Zelensky's flight from Moldova to Norway was delayed due to the alarm.
Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who attended Tuesday's meeting with Zelensky, later told NRK that the Ukrainian president himself told members of the Norwegian government about problems with the flight from Chisinau.
Two Russian drones over Moldova
According to the Moldovan authorities, two Russian drones entered its airspace on Tuesday. One of them fell on the territory of Moldova and caused a fire. The second one flew further, towards Romania. Due to the threat, the authorities temporarily closed Moldovan airspace, which led to delays of several flights.
Moldovan authorities said the airspace was closed after detecting a jet-powered drone that entered the country from Ukraine. At that time, Zelensky's plane was waiting at the international airport in Chisinau. After determining that the drone no longer posed a threat, the machine received permission to take off.
According to AP, the drone whose remains were found in Moldova was probably a Geran-type unmanned aerial vehicle, a design often used by Russia in attacks on Ukraine. However, investigators are examining in detail the circumstances of the incident and the nature of the items found.
"A serious threat to human life"
Moldova's President Maia Sandu condemned the violation of airspace by Russian drones, describing them as a "serious threat to human life." She also condemned the Russian drone attack on the border crossing with Ukraine, which killed two people on Tuesday.
Incidents with Russian drones are not unprecedented for Moldova and Romania. Both countries, located in the immediate vicinity of Ukraine, have repeatedly reported cases of violation of their airspace by drones related to Russian attacks on Ukraine.
Zelensky flew to Norway
Despite the delay, Volodymyr Zelensky finally flew out of Moldova and reached Oslo. The President of Ukraine went to Norway for the funeral ceremonies of King Harald V. On Wednesday, he participated in the funeral procession together with other state leaders.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that talks with the Ukrainian president concerned, among others, security and air defense situation of Ukraine. After the celebrations, Zelensky left Norway and went to Canada.
