A plane transporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Norway narrowly avoided a drone collision as it prepared to depart from Moldova. This incident occurred prior to the king’s state funeral, according to reports from Reuters.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre highlighted the incident on Wednesday. He informed the public broadcaster NRK about the close call after Zelenskyy’s safe arrival in Oslo on Tuesday evening.
“His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was about to take off from Moldova. That is the reality he is facing,” Støre stated. However, he did not provide details on the proximity of the drone to the aircraft.
Details emerged later from a Moldovan government spokesperson, indicating the involvement of two Russian drones in the event. As a result, Zelenskyy’s departure faced delays when authorities shut down the country’s airspace temporarily. Once one of the drones landed on Moldovan soil, Zelenskyy’s aircraft was permitted to take off.
The landing drone sparked a fire in a field north of the capital, while the other continued into Romanian airspace. These actions led Chișinău International Airport to temporarily halt arrivals and departures, prompting flights to enter holding patterns or divert to nearby countries.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu condemned these incidents, labeling them as a “serious threat to people’s lives.” She also criticized a separate Russian drone attack on a border crossing between Moldova and Ukraine that resulted in two deaths.
Upon reaching Oslo, Zelenskyy engaged in discussions with Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg about military support, including air defense, and civilian aid, as reported by Deutsche Welle.
The Institute for the Study of War also reported that a Russian Shahed drone traversed Moldovan and Romanian airspace for an hour before crashing in Moldova.
Emma Bussey, a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital, contributed to this report. Previously, she was part of The Telegraph’s U.S. overnight team, covering areas such as foreign affairs, politics, sports, and culture.