A Russian drone that entered Moldovan airspace may have been deliberately heading towards Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s aircraft, according to Moldova’s ambassador to the US, raising fresh concerns over the potential spillover of Russia’s war in Ukraine beyond the battlefield.
Vladislav Kulminski said the Moldovan government did not currently believe the September 8 incident was accidental, although he stressed that an investigation was still under way and it was too early to draw a definitive conclusion.
He said it was difficult to believe that a Russian jet-powered drone had crossed Moldova at precisely the moment the Ukrainian president’s aircraft was preparing to leave the country.
“We do not believe in jet propelled drones just flying into Moldova’s territory for surveillance purposes while [the] Ukrainian president’s airplane is on the ground at the airport,” Kulminski said.
The incident forced Moldova to temporarily close its airspace and delayed Zelensky’s departure for Norway, where he was due to meet Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Moldovan authorities said permission for the Ukrainian president’s aircraft to take off was granted after the drone crashed and exploded near the village of Stari Mihăileni in the Rîșcani district.
The crash site was approximately 160km from Chisinau International Airport, according to Moldovan officials.
The disruption extended beyond the presidential flight. Three departing flights and four arriving flights were delayed at the airport during the air raid alert, underlining the growing risks to civilian aviation from Russia’s expanding use of long-range drones.
Støre was among the first officials to publicly disclose the incident involving Zelenskyy’s aircraft.
“His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was about to take off from Moldova. That is the reality he is facing,” the Norwegian prime minister said.
The episode comes as Ukraine has expanded its ability to strike targets deep inside Russia, while Moscow has continued to launch large-scale missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
For Moldova, a country bordering Ukraine that is not a member of Nato, the incident carries particular significance. An intentional attack on or near a foreign head of government’s aircraft would represent a dramatic escalation in the risks posed by the conflict to neighbouring states.
Kulminski nevertheless cautioned against reaching conclusions before investigators establish the drone’s trajectory, intended target and circumstances surrounding its entry into Moldovan airspace.
The episode has nonetheless highlighted the increasingly narrow margin for error as Russian drones operate close to international borders and civilian air corridors.
For European governments, the incident presents a stark reminder that the war in Ukraine is no longer simply a conflict contained within Ukrainian territory. As the range and frequency of drone operations increase, the risk of miscalculation — or deliberate escalation — is spreading across the region.
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