Should Ukraine retaliate after Russian drone nearly hits Zelenskyy’s plane? – Radio NV poll

On 8 September, Moldova temporarily closed its airspace and caused delays to seven flights, including Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's trip to Norway for King Harald V's funeral. This occurred after a Russian drone crossed into Moldovan territory, as reported by the country's government to Reuters. The aircraft was cleared to take off once authorities confirmed the drone had landed on Moldovan soil.

Norway's prime minister described the incident as a near-miss, but neither country has disclosed how close the drone came to Zelenskyy's plane. Russia has been actively conducting drone attacks along the EU's eastern border, crossing Moldovan and Romanian airspace regularly. Countries lacking interceptor capabilities resort to closing their skies to counter such threats.

Moldova detected the Shahed-type drone entering its airspace at 16:20. The drone initially headed towards Bender, a city in the Russian-backed breakaway region of Transnistria, before turning towards the capital, Chișinău. At 16:37, it exited Moldova over the western border, heading into Romania.

Controllers restricted airspace over central Moldova at 16:30. The same drone returned from the Romanian side, crossed the northern part of the country, and crashed outside a village near the Romanian border, igniting dry vegetation. No one was injured, and airspace was reopened at 17:39, more than an hour after it was closed.

Zelenskyy's flight to Oslo was delayed due to the airspace closure. The civilian airport he was departing from suspended operations, and border services blocked nearby crossings. Three departures and four arrivals to and from the airport were delayed, as reported by Reuters.

Militarnyi, citing the ministry, reported that the incident occurred during the window when Zelenskyy's aircraft was preparing to take off. The civilian airport he was leaving from and the border service closed nearby crossings. The route of the Russian drone across Romania and Moldova, as published by Oko Hora, aligns with the timeframe of the delay, although no specific aircraft has been identified.