A drone incident nearly struck a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as it prepared for takeoff from Moldova on Tuesday, delaying his departure for Norway. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre reported the event on Wednesday, stating that the aircraft was "almost hit" by a drone.
Moldovan authorities later confirmed that two Russian drones were involved in the incident. Zelensky's flight to Oslo for the Norwegian king's state funeral was delayed after the country's airspace was temporarily closed. The airspace reopened after one of the drones landed in a field in Moldova, causing a fire, while the other proceeded into Romanian airspace.
Chișinău International Airport suspended arrivals and departures due to the incursions, leading to flights being held or diverted. Moldovan President Maia Sandu described the drone incursions as a "serious threat to people's lives" and also condemned a separate Russian drone strike that resulted in two fatalities at a border crossing with Ukraine.
Zelensky ultimately arrived in Oslo on Tuesday evening. He held discussions with Norwegian officials, including Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, focusing on military aid, air defense support, and civilian assistance.
The Institute for the Study of War noted that a Russian Shahed drone traversed Moldovan and Romanian airspace for approximately an hour before crashing in Moldova.