Ukraine War09 September, 20262 min read
Russian Drone Nearly Hits Zelenskyy’s Plane as It Takes Off From Moldova for Oslo Funeral
Zelenskyy's plane was almost struck by a drone during takeoff from Moldova to Oslo. Moldovan airspace was closed briefly after a Russian drone incursion delayed departure.
Drone alert delays departure
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was almost hit by a drone as it took off from Moldova en route to Oslo for the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V. Moldovan authorities said the departure was delayed after they closed Moldova’s airspace over a drone alert, and Zelenskyy’s aircraft was cleared for take-off once it was established that a Russian drone had come down on Moldovan territory.
CNN reported that a Russian drone entering Moldova’s airspace delayed Zelensky’s departure, and that the drone exploded some 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Chișinău International Airport. Al Jazeera reported that Zelenskyy arrived in Norway’s capital on Tuesday evening and that, while he was in Oslo, Ukrainian regional officials said at least eight people were killed in Russian attacks on Wednesday, including along the Ukraine-Moldova border and in the southeast.
Competing accounts of risk
Store told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that “His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova. That is the reality he lives in,” while multiple outlets said he did not provide further details about how close the drone came.
A source in the Ukrainian presidency told AFP that “It was an alert in Moldova when a Russian (drone) entered Moldovan and Romanian airspace,” and described the claim that Zelenskyy was at risk as “exaggerated.”
Deutsche Welle reported that neither Ukrainian authorities nor Zelenskyy himself commented on the drone incident, and said a claim that Zelenskyy was at risk was described as “exaggerated” by the source.
CNN also quoted Moldova’s ambassador to the United States, Vladislav Kulminski, saying the incident was likely “not an accident,” while noting that he said it was “too early to say” whether the drone targeted Zelenskyy.
Air defense and next steps
After arriving in Oslo, Zelenskyy held talks with Store, and the two leaders also met defence industry executives to discuss advancing a European anti-ballistic system codenamed FREYJA. In a social media post, Zelenskyy said the meeting focused on dividing responsibilities between governments and defence companies and agreeing on steps needed to produce the first practical results from the programme, adding, “We expect to see the first practical results.”
“‘We expect to see the first practical results.”
Euronews reported that Store told NRK “Industry is working together to see whether it is possible to provide air defence systems for Ukraine,” and said the effort was also aimed at finding an industrial solution to allow Ukraine to build air defence systems itself. Anadolu Ajansı said Store and Zelenskyy also discussed Kyiv’s need for additional air defense, and noted that Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg confirmed Zelenskyy described problems with his departure from Moldova, including that he was “delayed” and that there were “some threats against the plane.”