--- title: "\"The situation is becoming increasingly dangerous\": EU comments on drone incident near Zelensky's plane in Moldova" description: "European Commissioner Kubilius stated that the drone incident near Zelensky's plane in Moldova on 8 September confirms the growing threat to civilian aviation in the EU. At the same time, Brussels did not confirm that the UAV was aimed at the president's aircraft." date: 2026-09-11T13:08:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/eu-statement-incident-zelensky-plane-moldova-drone tags: [ukraine, moldova, russian-drones, civil-aviation, eu-defense, zelensky, kubilius] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "The situation is becoming increasingly dangerous": EU comments on drone incident near Zelensky's plane in Moldova ![Volodymyr Zelenskyy descends the stairs from a Ukrainian aircraft amid the drone incident in Moldova commented on by the EU](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/11/es-zayavlenie-incident-samolet-zelenskogo-moldova-dron/es-zayavlenie-incident-samolet-zelenskogo-moldova-dron-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - European Commissioner Kubilius called the incident in Moldova a confirmation of the growing threat to civilian aviation in the EU and neighbouring countries - Zelensky's departure from Moldova to Norway on 8 September was delayed due to a Russian drone that crashed 160 km from Chișinău airport - The EU did not confirm that the drone was deliberately aimed at the Ukrainian president's plane - Brussels called for strengthening defence capabilities amid recurring incidents on the Eastern flank European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius stated that Russian provocations involving the use of drones and sabotage operations pose a direct and growing threat to civilian aviation in European Union member states and neighbouring countries. He said this in a conversation with journalists, commenting on the recent incident in Moldovan airspace linked to the departure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Norway on 8 September 2026. ### Incident in Moldova: flight delay and drone crash As Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre previously reported, the aircraft of the head of the Ukrainian state "was nearly shot down by a drone during take-off from Moldova". The Moldovan government confirmed that Zelensky's departure from the country to Norway on 8 September was delayed due to the presence of a Russian drone in the republic's airspace. Permission to take off was granted only after it became known that the drone had crashed and exploded near the village of Starî Mihaileni in Rîșcani District — approximately 160 km from Chișinău International Airport.### Brussels' assessment: from "possible aggression" to a call to strengthen defence Commenting on the incident, Kubilius emphasised that, in Zelensky's own words, "perhaps this was not a direct aggression against the president's plane", however "it is quite clear that the situation is becoming increasingly dangerous for civilian aviation in neighbouring countries as well". In his words, the key question now is how exactly to stop such activity by Russia. The European Commissioner stated that Russian provocations require the European Union to "be even more proactive in developing our defence capabilities". ### Contradictory data There are a number of discrepancies in assessments surrounding the incident in Moldova. On the one hand, Norwegian Prime Minister Støre and the Moldovan ambassador to the US, Vladislav Culminsky, point to the deliberate nature of the threat: according to Culminsky, the Russian drone that violated Moldovan airspace "may have been flying towards the Ukrainian president's plane deliberately". On the other hand, the European Union, as reported by strana.news, found no confirmation that the Russian UAV in Moldova intended to attack Zelensky's plane. Kubilius also left a caveat in his wording that "perhaps this was not a direct aggression". Thus, the question of whether the drone was aimed directly at the president's aircraft or whether its appearance in the airspace was of a different nature remains open and unconfirmed at the level of official EU conclusions. ### Not the first case: precedents on the Eastern flank Kubilius reminded that threats to European leaders and civilian aircraft have been recorded not for the first time. In particular, he recounted that last year, while travelling with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen through the countries of the EU's Eastern flank, in Bulgaria the pilots encountered "truly significant problems due to the jamming of navigation signals", which, in his words, "is also very dangerous for civilian aviation". According to Brussels' assessment, these episodes form a persistent trend that requires a systematic response from the European Union in the area of defence policy and airspace protection. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - ["The situation is getting more dangerous": EU issues statement on the incident with Zelensky's plane](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/situatsiya-nebezpechnisha-es-zrobili-zayavu-1789131381.html) - Подтверждает заявление Кубилюса, детали инцидента в Молдове, упоминание инцидента в Болгарии с фон дер Ляен, цитату о «возможной, но не подтверждённой прямой агрессии». - [EU found no confirmation that the Russian UAV in Moldova intended to attack the plane ...](https://strana.news/news/512070-v-es-ne-nashli-svjazi-mezhdu-rossijskim-dronom-v-moldove-i-samoletom-zelenskoho.html) - Подтверждает позицию ЕС об отсутствии подтверждения целенаправленной атаки дрона на самолёт Зеленского. Использовано для раздела «Противоречивые данные». ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What happened to Zelensky's plane in Moldova on 8 September? **A:** The Ukrainian president's departure from Moldova to Norway was delayed due to a Russian drone in the republic's airspace. The drone crashed and exploded near the village of Starî Mihaileni in Rîșcani District, approximately 160 km from Chișinău airport. Permission to take off was granted after the situation was clarified. ### Q: Did the EU confirm that the drone was aimed at Zelensky's plane? **A:** No. The European Union found no confirmation that the Russian UAV intended to attack the plane. Kubilius also caveated that "perhaps this was not a direct aggression against the president's plane", although he emphasised the growing overall threat to civilian aviation. ### Q: What measures does Brussels propose in response to such incidents? **A:** Kubilius stated that the EU must be "even more proactive in developing its defence capabilities". He also recalled previous incidents, including the jamming of navigation signals in Bulgaria during von der Leyen's trip along the Eastern flank.