Norway prime minister reports drone near Zelensky plane during Moldova takeoff

Divergent accounts in Chisinau and Oslo

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated on Wednesday that an aircraft carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was nearly struck by a drone while departing Moldova on Tuesday. Speaking to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, Støre framed the incident as an example of the security threats confronting the Ukrainian leadership during official travel.

His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was about to take off from Moldova. That is the reality he is facing.

Officials in Kyiv and Chisinau offered a more restrained description of the flight delay. A source within the Ukrainian presidential administration told AFP that characterising Zelensky as having faced direct physical danger was exaggerated, describing the event as an airspace alert prompted by a Russian drone entering regional skies.

Airspace shutdown and border incident

Moldovan government spokesperson Dumitru Ciorici explained that civil aviation authorities shut national airspace on Tuesday shortly after 16:30 local time (13:30 GMT) following the entry of a Russian drone from Ukraine. Authorities confirmed at 17:20 local time that the unmanned aerial vehicle had crashed and exploded approximately 160 kilometres from Chisinau International Airport. Flight restrictions were subsequently lifted, allowing Zelensky's aircraft to take off for Norway behind schedule. A second Russian drone also entered Moldovan airspace during the same period before continuing its flight path towards Romania, according to government statements. The incident occurred alongside broader regional violence, including a Tuesday night drone strike on a border checkpoint between Ukraine and Moldova, situated 70 kilometres from Odesa and 130 kilometres from Chisinau, which killed two people and injured three on the Ukrainian side while injuring one Moldovan motorist.

Diplomatic itinerary in Norway and Canada

Zelensky landed in Oslo on Wednesday morning to attend the state funeral of King Harald V of Norway, joining international dignitaries in central Oslo behind the royal coffin. Prior to the ceremony, Zelensky met Støre in his office to discuss bilateral cooperation, air defence systems, and the Freyja initiative, which aims to develop a European anti-ballistic system. The Ukrainian president also held talks with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, the former secretary general of NATO. Following the funeral, Zelensky left Norway, made a brief stop in Iceland, and traveled to Canada alongside First Lady Olena Zelenska for official meetings scheduled through Friday with the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Regional reactions and security shifts

Moldovan Ambassador to the United States Vladislav Kulminski commented that the drone intrusion near the airport was probably not an accident, noting that an official investigation remains underway. Moldovan President Maia Sandu condemned the repeated airspace violations as a serious danger to civilian lives. Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan noted that 17 drones impacted Moldovan territory in August alone, a total exceeding the entire tally recorded during the previous year. Zelensky has conducted his foreign departures through Chisinau International Airport since June, shifting his travel route away from Poland's Rzeszow-Jasionka airport following political disputes in Warsaw regarding historical military units and state honours.