Ukraine War · 09 September, 2026 · 3 min read
Russian Drone Almost Hits Zelenskyy Plane as Moldova Airspace Closes, Norwegian PM Says
Zelenskyy's Moldova departure plane was almost struck by a drone. Moldova closed airspace over a drone alert, delaying takeoff.
How close or whether Zelenskyy faced immediate danger.
10 of 11 outlets skipped it: zelenskyy and Norway discussed the FREYJA anti-ballistic system.
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Same story, two versions
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Al Jazeera
“Store did not say what his source was for this information or how close the drone was.”Read the original ↗
The Telegraph leans on Ukrainian sources to downgrade danger, while Al Jazeera stresses Støre gave no source or proximity details.
Drone near Zelensky flight
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Moldova to Oslo was almost hit by a drone as it was taking off from Moldova.
“His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova”
Store told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that "His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova," and said "That is the reality he lives in."
A Moldovan government spokesperson later confirmed the incident in a statement, saying it happened on Tuesday before the take-off and involved a Russian drone.
The spokesperson said the departure was delayed when authorities closed Moldova’s airspace over a drone alert, and Zelenskyy’s aircraft was cleared for take-off once it had been established that the drone had come down on Moldovan territory.
While in Oslo, Zelenskyy held talks with Store and met defence industry executives to discuss advancing a European anti-ballistic system codenamed FREYJA.
Competing accounts and officials
The Deutsche Welle report said Store told NRK that Zelenskyy’s flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova, and it noted that neither Ukrainian authorities nor Zelenskyy himself commented on the drone incident.
Deutsche Welle also said a claim that Zelenskyy was at risk was described as "exaggerated" by the source, while the Institute for the Study of War said a Russian drone flew in Moldovan and Romanian airspace for about an hour on Tuesday.
Deutsche Welle reported that the ISW said the defense ministries of Moldova and Romania both reported that a Shahed drone entered Moldovan airspace from Ukraine, flew over Romania, and then returned to Moldova, where it crashed.
In parallel, Al Jazeera reported that later on Wednesday, a Moldovan government spokesperson confirmed the incident and said the departure was delayed after authorities closed Moldova’s airspace over a drone alert.A
Al Jazeera added that Zelenskyy’s comments in Oslo included: "Protecting Europe’s skies is our shared responsibility," as the leaders discussed dividing responsibilities between governments and defence companies.A
Funeral travel and wider impact
The Reuters account carried by Global Banking & Finance Review said Zelenskiy's departure from Moldova was delayed when authorities closed Moldova's airspace over a drone alert, and it said the president's aircraft was cleared for take-off on Tuesday once it had been established that a Russian drone had come down on Moldovan territory.
“denounced the drone intrusions as a "serious threat to people's lives"”
That Reuters text also said three departures and four arrivals were delayed while Moldovan airspace was closed, and it described two Russian drones entering Moldovan airspace on Tuesday, with one landing in a field north of the capital and triggering a fire.
Global Banking & Finance Review reported that Moldovan President Maia Sandu denounced the drone intrusions as a "serious threat to people's lives" and condemned a Russian drone attack on a border crossing with Ukraine that killed two people.
After the delay, Zelenskyy arrived in Oslo on Tuesday evening to attend the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V, and the Al Jazeera report said Ukrainian regional officials later said at least eight people were killed in Russian attacks on Wednesday.A
Al Jazeera said those deaths included attacks along the Ukraine-Moldova border and in the southeast, as Zelenskyy was in Norway for talks with Store and discussions on FREYJA.A