Zelensky Says Russia Targeted His Plane Twice in Recent Weeks

President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Russia twice attempted to target his aircraft within recent weeks, employing drones as a means to intimidate him and other foreign officials who support Ukraine. According to Zelensky, the first incident occurred when his presidential aircraft was stationed in Moldova's capital, Chișinău, followed by another drone attack as he returned to Ukraine via Moldova's capital a few days later, Zelensky stated in an exclusive interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Zelensky elaborated, "In Moldova, my presidential jet was there, and that’s why they attacked." The incident transpired on Sept. 8 when his aircraft attempted to take off from Moldova en route to Oslo, Norway, as reported by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Støre described the occurrence as an unfortunate reality faced by the Ukrainian president amidst Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.

Zelensky connected these drone attacks to Russia's recent assault on Ukraine's railway system, which took place on Monday, Sept. 13, when a jet-powered drone struck a passenger train near Yahodyn in Volyn Oblast, situated approximately a few kilometers away from the Polish border. The train was transporting a significant delegation of senior foreign officials, including former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former CIA Director David Petraeus.

Despite the train carrying 206 passengers, there were no reported casualties. Zelensky suggested that Russia either lacked information about the passengers' identities or was aware, stating, "Maybe they didn’t know that some Americans had been there or maybe, oppositely, they knew, because I don’t trust them. I think that they knew."

He added, "That’s why, Europeans, Americans, the big delegation had been in this train, and they attacked."

Since the commencement of 2026, Russia has launched at least 1,534 attacks on Ukraine's railway infrastructure. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha revealed that over 500 locomotives have been damaged or destroyed by Russian strikes, with more than half of these losses occurring this year. Following the train attack, the Kremlin announced its intention to continue striking targets throughout Ukraine, while Western allies condemned the attack, emphasizing that it would not dissuade Kyiv's allies from supporting Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk revealed that Warsaw had received intelligence indicating that Moscow might plan attacks on border crossings just a day prior to the incident. These reported occurrences present a stark contrast to Russian President Vladimir Putin's assertions following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan on Sept.

2. Putin stated, "As you can see, we do not carry out such strikes," when questioned about the immunity of Zelensky and other senior officials from Russian attacks. Putin concluded that Russia requires Ukrainian officials for negotiation purposes, even though they persistently reject face-to-face meetings with Zelensky.