Reports indicate that Russian drones have recently been spotted near sites connected to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The first incident occurred on September 9, when Zelensky was traveling from Chișinău to Norway, prompting Moldova to temporarily close its airspace due to threats from Russian UAVs, which delayed the presidential flight.
On September 14, during Zelensky’s return flight, Russian drones again entered Moldovan airspace. Zelensky described these events as part of a Russian strategy aimed at intimidating him and foreign leaders.
In the early hours of September 14, Russian forces attacked Kryvyi Rih, allegedly targeting the 95th quarter where Zelensky’s family resides. Just two days later, on September 16, a strike on Kyiv destroyed a warehouse belonging to the entertainment company Kvartal 95, founded by Zelensky, resulting in the loss of props and costumes accumulated over approximately 20 years. Additionally, a warehouse belonging to the humanitarian aid foundation of Olena Zelenska was completely destroyed.
While the Russian Ministry of Defense did not officially link these strikes to Zelensky, claiming the target was a Kyiv transport enterprise, Russian state media emphasized the connection, referring to the attacks as a “black day for the Zelensky family” and a “below-the-belt strike” against the Ukrainian president.
Context
- On the evening of September 8, Zelensky’s flight from Moldova to Norway was delayed due to a drone threat in the country’s airspace. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated that a drone was nearby during the president’s takeoff. Later, the Norwegian Prime Minister’s office confirmed that the flight was delayed due to the drone threat and that clearance was granted only after a drone crash in Moldova was confirmed.
- Dmitry Peskov, press secretary for illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin, dismissed the threat to Zelensky’s aircraft as “ephemeral.”
