Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia attempted to target his presidential aircraft with drones twice in recent weeks while it was in Moldovan airspace. He made the statement in an interview with CBS News.
According to Zelensky, the first incident occurred while he was traveling to Norway. On September 9, his departure from Chisinau to Oslo was delayed after Moldova temporarily closed its airspace following a drone incursion.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said at the time that Zelensky’s plane had reportedly come close to being hit by a drone. Moldovan authorities confirmed that the alert had prompted the temporary closure of the country’s airspace, after which the presidential aircraft continued its flight.
Zelensky said a second incident occurred several days later, when he was returning to Ukraine, again via Chisinau. According to the Ukrainian president, one or two drones entered Moldovan airspace at the time.
“When we came back home, again through Chisinau, they did the same thing,” Zelensky told CBS News. He said he believes the incidents were part of an attempt to intimidate him and other foreign leaders.
The second incident had not previously been reported. Reuters noted that Zelensky suggested the drones could have been connected to the presence of his aircraft, but he did not say that the presidential plane was directly targeted.
In recent days, Moldova has reported several violations of its airspace by drones. On September 9, two Russian drones entered Moldovan airspace, with one crashing in the Riscani district. Another incident was reported on September 14.
Zelensky also referred in the interview to an attack on a Ukrainian locomotive near the Polish border, which Ukrainian authorities said occurred on September 13. The Ukrainian president claimed that Russia knew European delegations were in the area. The attack on railway infrastructure was confirmed, but there has been no independent confirmation that the diplomatic train mentioned by Zelensky was the target of the strike.