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

A suspected Russian drone, believed to be a Shahed-type, nearly collided with President Volodymyr Zelensky's aircraft as it prepared to depart Moldova on September 8, according to a source speaking to the Kyiv Independent on September 9. Zelensky was in Moldova to travel to Norway for a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store prior to attending the funeral of King Harald V. The president's plane took off from Moldova, the location where the drone incursion took place.

Moldova's Defense Ministry reported on September 8 that a Shahed-type drone had breached the country's airspace around 4:20 p.m. local time. The drone was tracked by Moldovan military personnel until it entered Romanian airspace at approximately 4:37 p.m. The incident triggered airspace closures, emergency alerts, and the deployment of NATO fighter jets.

The timing of the drone violation coincided with Zelensky's flight to Norway, as confirmed by a source to the Kyiv Independent. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store himself stated that Zelensky's plane was almost struck by a drone during his trip to Norway. This near-miss has fueled concerns of a potential Russian assassination attempt against the president.

Russian drones and missiles have frequently violated the airspace of both Romania and Moldova in recent months, leading to heightened fears of a possible assassination attempt. The suspicious timing of the drone incursion against Zelensky's plane raises these concerns. The near miss occurs shortly after a U.S.-led peace initiative, during which President Donald Trump's negotiators met with both Kyiv and Moscow, but the negotiations yielded little progress beyond vague promises of future trilateral talks.

President Vladimir Putin has shown no signs of backing down from his maximalist demands, even after encouragement from Washington to pursue diplomatic solutions to the war. Putin has also faced suspicion for orchestrating assassinations of political adversaries, including the downing of former Wagner Commander Yevgeny Progozhin's private jet in Russia in August 2023.