A plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Norway was reportedly nearly hit by a drone while taking off from Moldova, as he travelled to attend the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre disclosed the incident on Wednesday, September 9, saying Zelenskyy’s aircraft was almost struck by a drone during takeoff from Moldova. He did not disclose how close the drone came to the aircraft or provide details about the source of the information.
“His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova. That is the reality he lives in,” Støre told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.
Moldovan authorities later confirmed that a Russian drone had entered the country’s airspace, prompting officials to temporarily close the airspace and delay several flights, including Zelenskyy’s. The aircraft was cleared to depart after authorities determined that the drone had come down on Moldovan territory.
Reports from Moldovan and Ukrainian officials indicated that the drone entered Moldovan airspace before also crossing into neighbouring Romania. It later returned to Moldova and crashed, with authorities investigating the incident. There were no reports of damage or injuries from the drone’s crash.
However, a source in the Ukrainian presidency described the suggestion that Zelenskyy was specifically at risk as exaggerated. The source said the incident involved an alert after a Russian drone entered Moldovan and Romanian airspace. It has therefore not been independently established that the drone was deliberately targeting Zelenskyy’s aircraft.
Despite the security scare, Zelenskyy arrived in Oslo and attended the state funeral of King Harald V on Wednesday. The Ukrainian president joined other world leaders and members of European royalty at the ceremony before leaving Norway for Canada.
While in Norway, Zelenskyy also held talks with Støre and other officials on military assistance, including air-defence support for Ukraine. He also participated in discussions with defence industry executives on the proposed European FREYJA anti-ballistic defence programme.
