Norway PM says drone ‘almost hit’ Zelensky’s plane en route to Oslo

Oslo, September 10 — Ukraine and Moldova have dismissed claims from Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store that President Volodymyr Zelensky's plane was nearly struck by a drone while en route to Oslo. Store told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that the plane was "almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova". However, a Ukrainian presidential source described the assertion that Zelensky faced danger as "exaggerated".

"It was an alert in Moldova when a Russian (drone) entered Moldovan and Romanian airspace," the source told AFP. In Chisinau, Moldovan government spokesman Dumitru Ciorici confirmed that airspace was closed on Tuesday afternoon around 4:30 pm local time due to a Russian drone entering from the direction of Ukraine. The airspace closure resulted in delays for three departures and four arrivals, with authorities announcing the drone had crashed and exploded approximately 160 kilometers from Chisinau International Airport.

Flight restrictions were subsequently lifted, allowing Zelensky's plane to take off later than planned. Zelensky had arrived in Oslo on Tuesday evening and met with Store, Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, and Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide to discuss military aid, including air-defense support, and civilian assistance. The Ukrainian president also attended the funeral of Norway's King Harald, who died on August 28 at the age of 89, before departing for Canada to meet with other world leaders.