Russian drone that delayed Zelenskyy’s plane crashed 160 kilometers from Chisinau airport

A Russian drone crossed from Romania into Moldova, was tracked by two Spanish F-18s over NATO territory, and eventually crashed in a sunflower field in Moldova's Rîșcani district, roughly 160 kilometers from Chisinau's airport, according to the Associated Press. Moldova closed its airspace for part of the day, delaying three flights including the plane carrying President Volodymyr Zelenskyy en route to Norway for King Harald's funeral.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Zelenskyy's plane nearly collided with the drone on takeoff. Sources in Ukraine's presidential office told public broadcaster Suspilne the plane was never airborne at the same time as the drone, which Ukraine says it tracked until it vanished from radar. Moldova's ambassador to the US called it too early to call it an assassination attempt, though he raised the possibility the drone entered deliberately.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.