Zelensky plane left Finland, destination unknown: Reports
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has departed from Finland toward an unknown destination in light of Kiev allegedly launching an attack on the Kremlin residence.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holds a speech during his visit to Warsaw, Poland, April 5, 2023 (AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's plane has taken off in Finland and flown in an unknown direction, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian president arrived in Finland earlier in the day to meet with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and participate in a one-day Nordic summit.
The Finnish mass media reported that Zelensky's vehicle had left the Presidential Palace around 07:30 pm local time. Multiple videos were posted on social media showing his heavily guarded cortege moving through the streets of the capital, Helsinki, in the direction of the airport.
Zelensky arrived at the private jets' terminal at Helsinki Airport around 07:50 pm, a Sputnik correspondent reported. Several helicopters hovered over the airport territory to guarantee a safe take-off for the Ukrainian president's plane, as had been the case during the visit of then-US President Donald Trump.
According to the information provided by flight tracker Flightradar24, an unidentified plane appeared at the airport and took off at about 8 pm toward an unknown destination. The information was later deleted from the tracker's database.
Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported earlier in the day that a US administration Boeing C-40B had been parked at Helsinki Airport. It is protected this was the plane aboard which Zelensky arrived in Finland.
As soon as the plane took off, the police left the private jet's terminal, the Sputnik correspondent reported. At about the same time, the Helsinki police wrote on Twitter that the traffic impacts in the city center were over and thanked citizens for their patience and understanding.
The Ukrainian president's departure from Finland comes in light of the press service of the Kremlin saying Wednesday that two UAVs attempted to target the Kremlin residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Two unmanned aerial vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin," the statement said.
The Kremlin further stated that it considered the attempted drone attack on the presidential palace as a planned terrorist act and an attempted assassination against Putin.
"We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the Russian president, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned," the statement read.
