Moldova and Ukraine say Zelensky’s flight from Chisinau was delayed due to a drone threat. Norway’s prime minister said the president’s plane ‘almost collided with a drone.’

On September 8, Moldovan authorities announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's plane was delayed during takeoff from Chisinau due to a drone threat. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre alleged that Zelensky's plane "almost collided with a drone when it was about to take off from Moldova." The country's airspace was closed, resulting in the cancellation of three outbound flights and four inbound flights.

The drone detonated near Stari Mihaileni in Rîșcani District, approximately 160 kilometers from Chisinau's airport. According to a source within Ukraine's presidential office, the Norwegian prime minister's claim was "exaggerated." Moldova's ambassador to the United States, Vladislav Kulminski, suggested the incident was not an accident and believed the drone was a variant of Russia's "Geran" drone, which was later confirmed by Moldovan experts.

Zelensky had visited Chisinau en route to Oslo for the funeral of Norway's king and then proceeded to Canada.