SPORTS · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Zelensky's Flight Delayed Due to Drone Threat Over Moldova
WHY IT MATTERS
The incident highlights concerns about aerial surveillance and potential security threats in the region, particularly given Moldova's proximity to Ukraine and Russia.
What happened
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's flight from Chisinau was delayed on September 8 due to a drone threat. Moldovan authorities confirmed that the country's airspace was closed after a drone appeared, causing three outbound flights and four inbound flights to be delayed.
The drone exploded near the village of Stari Mihaileni, about 160 kilometers from Chisinau's airport, and the restrictions were then lifted. The Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, stated that Zelensky's plane 'almost collided with a drone,' but a source in Ukraine's presidential office described this claim as 'exaggerated.
' Moldova's ambassador to the US, Vladislav Kulminski, suggested that the drone's appearance was 'not an accident. ' The drone was identified as a variant of Russia's 'Geran' drone, but Russian authorities have not commented on the incident.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Moldova and Ukraine say Zelensky’s flight from Chisinau was delayed due to a drone threat. Norway’s prime minister said the president’s plane ‘almost collided with a drone.’
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