Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia twice targeted his plane with drones.

What it means

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an exclusive interview with CBS News, said Russia twice targeted his presidential aircraft with drones in recent weeks — once while his plane was in Moldova's airspace near Chișinău, and again as he returned to Ukraine through Moldovan territory. He framed the attacks as part of a broader Russian campaign to intimidate him and other foreign leaders, and warned that targeting his plane carries consequences. The claim is a direct allegation from Zelensky, not an independently confirmed military incident.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded

The claim rests on Zelensky's own statement to CBS News, a reputable secondary source reporting a named primary source (the Ukrainian president). The reporting is close to the source — an exclusive interview — but the underlying facts (that Russian drones specifically targeted his plane) are not independently verified and are disputed by Russia. The Kyiv Post corroborates the details about Moldova, but the core allegation remains a presidential assertion.

How new

Genuinely new: the interview and the allegations were reported on September 15, 2026, and describe events from the preceding weeks.

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