Zelenskyy's plane 'almost hit' by drone while taking off from Moldova for Harald V's funeral

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plane was reportedly "almost hit" by a drone while preparing to take off from Moldova for Norway, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said. The incident took place on Tuesday as Zelenskyy was travelling to Oslo to attend the funeral of Norway's King Harald V.

Speaking to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, Støre said Zelenskyy's flight was nearly struck by a drone while taking off from Moldova, describing the incident as part of the dangers the Ukrainian president faces amid the ongoing war. However, Støre did not disclose how close the drone came to the aircraft or the source of his information.

Moldova temporarily closes airspace

The incident also led to a temporary closure of Moldovan airspace after authorities detected Russian drones. According to Moldovan officials, two Russian drones entered the country's airspace. One came down in a field north of the capital, while another continued into Romanian airspace. Several flights were delayed during the airspace closure.

Moldovan authorities said Zelenskyy's aircraft was cleared to take off after it was established that the drone had come down on Moldovan territory. The Ukrainian president subsequently reached Oslo safely.

Conflicting details over the threat

While Norway's prime minister described the aircraft as having nearly been hit, a source in the Ukrainian presidency gave a more cautious account, saying there had been a drone alert involving a Russian drone that entered Moldovan and Romanian airspace. The source reportedly described claims that Zelenskyy was directly at risk as exaggerated.

A Ukrainian official travelling with Zelenskyy later told the Financial Times

 that they believed the drone was a Russian Shahed-type aircraft and that it came close enough to raise concerns. No damage or casualties were reported.

Zelenskyy attends King Harald V's funeral

Despite the incident, Zelenskyy attended the funeral of King Harald V in Oslo on Wednesday alongside foreign leaders and members of European royal families. The Ukrainian president also held discussions with Norwegian officials on military assistance and air-defence cooperation.

The incident has highlighted the wider airspace risks created by the Russia-Ukraine war, with drones increasingly crossing into the airspace of neighbouring countries