Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia targeted the aircraft carrying him twice in recent weeks, including during flights through Moldovan
airspace. Speaking to CBS News on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said his Presidential aircraft had been targeted while travelling through Moldova. "In Moldova, my Presidential jet was there, and that's why they attacked Moldova," he said. "When we went back home, again through Chisinau, they did the same." He said one or two drones had entered Moldovan airspace during his return journey to Ukraine, an incident that had not previously been reported. Ukrainian officials said all members of the Presidential delegation were safe. It was not immediately clear at the time whether the drone incursion had been deliberate. Zelenskyy said he believed the incidents were part of a Russian strategy aimed at intimidating him and other foreign leaders.
Zelensky told CBS News that Russia tried to target his presidential plane with drones twice during recent trips through Moldova.
“In Moldova, my presidential jet was there, and that’s why they attacked Moldova,” Zelensky said. “When we went back home, again through Chisinau,… pic.twitter.com/slARK0JKyQ— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 15, 2026
Drone Nearly Hits Zelenskyy's Plane
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had previously said Zelenskyy's aircraft was "almost hit" by a drone in Moldovan airspace as the Ukrainian President travelled to Oslo on 9 September. "That is the reality he lives in," Støre said.
The incident prompted Moldova to close its airspace temporarily.
Moldovan government spokesman Dumitru Ciorici told the BBC that authorities had detected a Russian drone entering Moldovan airspace from the direction of Ukraine.
"Three departures and four arrivals were delayed as a result," he said.
The drone later came down and exploded about 160 km from Chisinau International Airport, according to Moldovan authorities.
Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena, had been waiting on the runway for about an hour before their aircraft was cleared to depart.
The Kremlin said at the time that there had been no threat to the Ukrainian President's aircraft.
A Ukrainian source told Agence France-Presse that concerns over the incident had been "exaggerated".
Zelenskyy on Train Attack
The Ukrainian President also accused Russia of deliberately targeting a passenger train carrying foreign dignitaries visiting Ukraine on Sunday. Senior European officials and former CIA Director David Petraeus were among those on board. They were forced to evacuate after a Russian drone struck the train near the Polish border.
"Maybe they didn't know that some Americans had been there or maybe, oppositely, they knew, because I don't trust them," Zelenskyy told CBS News. "I think that they knew. That's why, Europeans, Americans, the big delegation had been in this train, and they attacked."
Drones Enter European Airspace
The allegations come as unidentified drones, some of which have been traced back to Russia, have increasingly entered European airspace in recent months. On Tuesday, NATO fighter jets shot down a drone in Lithuanian airspace for the first time, according to the Associated Press, citing Lithuanian military officials.
A separate Russian drone attack on a Moldovan border crossing at Starokozache killed two people overnight into Tuesday, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine has closed its own airspace to civilian aircraft since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelenskyy does not travel by air within Ukraine because of the continuing threat from Russian strikes. He usually travels by train to Poland before flying to other countries.
The Ukrainian President is also reported to have survived dozens of attempted assassination plots. Zelenskyy and his wife later arrived safely in Oslo, where he held talks with Støre and other officials about military assistance. They attended King Harald V's funeral before travelling to Iceland and then Canada for further talks.
