---
title: "Moldovan Ambassador to the US: Russian drone may have been deliberately flying toward Zelensky's plane"
description: "Moldova's ambassador to the US, Vladyslav Kulminskyi, stated that the Russian drone that violated the country's airspace on September 8 may have been deliberately flying toward Zelensky's plane. The president's departure to Norway was delayed due to the closure of airports."
date: 2026-09-10T06:14:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/moldovan-ambassador-russian-drone-may-have-flown-toward-zelenskys-plane
tags: [moldova, russia-drone, zelensky, airspace-violation, norway]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Moldovan Ambassador to the US: Russian drone may have been deliberately flying toward Zelensky's plane

![Volodymyr Zelensky against a backdrop of night lights: Moldova's ambassador says a Russian drone may have flown deliberately toward his plane](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/10/posol-moldovy-rossiyskiy-dron-mog-letet-na-samolet-zelenskogo/posol-moldovy-rossiyskiy-dron-mog-letet-na-samolet-zelenskogo-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- A Russian jet-powered drone violated Moldova's airspace on September 8, 2026, leading to a delay in Zelensky's departure to Norway.
- Moldova's ambassador to the US, Vladyslav Kulminskyi, suggested that the drone may have been deliberately directed at the presidential aircraft.
- The airspace was temporarily closed; the drone crashed near the village of Starî Mihaileni in Rîșcani District, approximately 160 km from Chisinau Airport.
- Three departing flights and four arriving flights were delayed; the Norwegian Prime Minister stated that Zelensky's plane was "nearly shot down."
- The investigation is ongoing and no final conclusions have been drawn; the parties' versions regarding the flight phase and the intentionality of the trajectory differ.

On September 8, 2026, a Russian jet-powered drone violated Moldova's airspace, leading to the temporary closure of airports and a delay in the departure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Norway. According to the assessment of Moldova's ambassador to the US, Vladyslav Kulminskyi, the incident was most likely not accidental: the diplomat suggested that the drone may have been deliberately directed toward the presidential aircraft. As RBC-Ukraine reports, citing CNN, the Moldovan government does not consider what happened a coincidence.

### Statement by Moldova's ambassador to the US

Vladyslav Kulminskyi emphasized that it is extremely difficult to believe in the accidental flight of a Russian jet-powered drone over the country's territory at precisely the moment when the Ukrainian president's plane was at the airport. "Most likely, this is not a coincidence, because we do not believe that a jet-powered drone simply flew into Moldova's airspace for reconnaissance at exactly the time when the President of Ukraine's plane was on the ground at the airport," the diplomat stated. At the same time, he clarified that it is too early to draw final conclusions, as the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

### How Zelensky's departure was delayed

The Moldovan government confirmed that the Ukrainian president's departure from the country to Norway on September 8 was delayed due to a Russian drone in the airspace. In Chisinau, they explained that the airspace had to be temporarily closed during this period because of the appearance of the drone, so Zelensky's departure to Oslo was postponed. Clearance for takeoff was granted after it became known that the drone had crashed and exploded near the village of Starî Mihaileni in Rîșcani District — approximately 160 km from Chisinau International Airport. In total, due to the air alert, three departing flights and four arriving flights were delayed at the airport.

### Oslo's reaction

The first to report on the incident involving Zelensky's plane en route to Norway was the country's Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre. "His plane was nearly shot down by a drone while taking off from Moldova. That is the reality he has faced," the head of the Norwegian government stated. Experts, assessing the trajectory, also note that the Russian drone remained in the air for about an hour, flying over the territory of Moldova and Romania, which complicates the picture and requires detailed analysis of the route.

### Contradictory data

There are notable discrepancies between the versions presented by the parties. According to Moldova's ambassador, at the time the drone was in the air, the Ukrainian president's plane "was on the ground at the airport," meaning the departure was delayed until it crashed. Meanwhile, the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated that the plane "was nearly shot down by a drone during takeoff." These formulations are not identical: in one version the aircraft had not yet left the runway, while in the other it was in the takeoff phase. Moreover, the claim that the drone was deliberately aimed at the presidential aircraft is an assessment by Moldova's ambassador and has not been confirmed by independent technical findings; the official position of Chisinau is limited to stating that the incident "is not considered accidental," and the investigation is ongoing. Finally, data on the drone's hour-long flight over Moldova and Romania indicates an extended trajectory that has not yet been definitively linked to the moment of the departure delay.

### Investigation and context

At the time of publication, no final conclusions have been drawn regarding the incident: the investigation is ongoing, and the version that the drone was deliberately aimed at Zelensky's plane remains a statement by the diplomat, not an established fact. The confirmed circumstances are the violation of Moldova's airspace, the temporary closure of airports, the delay of several flights, and the crash of the drone in Rîșcani District near the village of Starî Mihaileni. Only the completion of the official investigation can provide further clarity.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Russia may have deliberately directed a drone toward Zelensky's plane, says Moldova's ambassador](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rf-mogla-umisno-skeruvati-dron-napryamku-1789020553.html) - Основной источник цитаты посла Владислава Кульминского (со ссылкой на CNN) и заявления о том, что правительство Молдовы не считает инцидент случайностью.
- [Moldova condemns Russia's strike on a border crossing point and the violation of its airspace](https://24tv.ua/geopolitics/ru/moldova-osudila-ataku-rossii-na-kontrolno-propusknoj-punkt-kozache-podrobnosti-zajavlenija_n3138856) - Подтверждает факт нарушения воздушного пространства Молдовы российским беспилотником и официальную реакцию Кишинева.
- [Zelensky's plane 'nearly collided with a drone': new data changes the entire picture](https://www.lada.kz/world-news/157982-samolet-zelenskogo-edva-ne-stolknulsia-s-dronom-novye-dannye-izmenili-vsiu-kartinu.html) - Передает цитату премьера Норвегии Йонаса Гара Стере о том, что самолет «едва не был сбит»; формулировка «во время взлета» расходится с версией Молдовы о нахождении борта на земле.
- [Experts assess the hour-long flight of a Russian drone over Moldova and Romania: conclusions](https://esp.md/ru/sobytiya/2026/09/09/eksperty-ocenili-chasovoy-polyot-rossiyskogo-drona-nad-moldovoy-i-rumyniey) - Добавляет контекст о часовом полете дрона над Молдовой и Румынией, усложняющий траекторию; экспертные оценки, а не установленные факты наведения на борт.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What happened on September 8, 2026, in Moldova's airspace?
**A:** A Russian jet-powered drone violated Moldova's airspace. As a result, airports were temporarily closed, and the departure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Norway was delayed. It later became known that the drone crashed and exploded near the village of Starî Mihaileni in Rîșcani District, approximately 160 km from Chisinau Airport.

### Q: Does Moldova consider the incident accidental?
**A:** No. According to Moldova's ambassador to the US, Vladyslav Kulminskyi, the country's government does not consider what happened a coincidence and suggests that the drone may have been deliberately directed toward the Ukrainian president's plane. At the same time, he emphasized that it is too early to draw final conclusions, as the investigation is ongoing.

### Q: How many flights were delayed at Chisinau Airport?
**A:** Due to the air alert, three departing flights and four arriving flights were delayed at the airport. Clearance for Zelensky's departure was granted after news of the drone's crash became known.

### Q: What did the Norwegian Prime Minister say about this?
**A:** Jonas Gahr Støre stated that Zelensky's plane was "nearly shot down by a drone while taking off from Moldova" and called this the reality faced by the Ukrainian president. This formulation ("during takeoff") differs from Moldova's version, according to which the aircraft was on the ground.

### Q: Has it been confirmed that the drone was deliberately flying toward Zelensky's plane?
**A:** No, this is not an established fact. The version of a deliberate aim is an assessment by Moldova's ambassador to the US. The confirmed facts remain the airspace violation, the departure delay, and the drone's crash site; the investigation is ongoing.