Russian drone in Moldova nearly hit Zelensky's plane, source says

Editor's Note: This is a developing story.

A suspected Russian Shahed-type drone that violated Moldovan and Romanian airspace on Sept. 8 nearly hit President Volodymyr Zelensky's plane as it was departing from Moldova, a source told the Kyiv Independent on Sept. 9.

Zelensky was traveling to Norway to meet Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store ahead of the funeral of King Harald V at the time of the incident. The president's plane took off from Moldova, where the drone incursion occurred.

Moldova's Defense Ministry reported on Sept. 8 that a Shahed-type drone had invaded the country's airspace at around 4:20 p.m. local time. It was monitored by the Moldovan military until the drone crossed into Romanian airspace at around 4:37 p.m.

The drone incursion triggered airspace closures, emergency alerts, and the scrambling of NATO fighter jets.

The timing of the drone violation corresponded with Zelensky's flight from Moldova, a source told the Kyiv Independent.

Store himself said Zelensky's plane was almost struck by a drone during his trip to Norway.

"His plane was nearly hit by a drone as it was taking off from Moldova. This is the reality he faces," Store told the Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Sept. 9.

Russian drones and missiles have routinely violated the airspace of both Romania and Moldova in recent months.

While the Moldovan military has not disclosed information about Zelensky's flight in its official statements on the drone violation, the suspicious timing of the incursion raises fears of a possible Russian assassination attempt against the president.

The near miss comes shortly after a U.S.-led peace push which saw President Donald Trump's lead negotiators visit both Kyiv and Moscow — and leave with little to show for it other than vague promises of future trilateral talks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have doubled down on his maximalist demands despite encouragement from Washington to seek a diplomatic solution to the war.

Putin has also been suspected of carrying out assassinations against political rivals that involve suspicious plane crashes — such as the downing of former Wagner Commander Yevgeny Progozhin's private jet in Russia in August 2023.