A plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was nearly hit this week by a drone in Moldova, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told Norway’s public broadcaster Wednesday.
Zelensky was traveling Tuesday to Oslo for the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V when his connection from Chisinau International Airport was delayed by the threat, Store told NRK. Zelensky attended the funeral Wednesday.
It was unclear who launched the drone or how close it came to Zelensky’s aircraft. Ukrainian and Russian forces have increased aerial strikes on each other’s territory in recent weeks, and several NATO countries have accused Moscow of violating their airspace.
The foreign ministries of Ukraine, Russia, Moldova and Norway did not respond immediately to requests for comment Wednesday. The State Department did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Moldova closed its airspace Tuesday afternoon after surveillance systems detected an “aerial target,” the country’s Defense Ministry said, but it was unclear whether it was the drone to which Store was referring.
The Maryland-size country, a former Soviet republic, lies between Romania and Ukraine, some 350 miles from Russia. Officially neutral, it maintains diplomatic relations with both NATO and Russia.
More than 30 drones have violated the country’s airspace in 2026, Prime Minister Vasile Tofan wrote Wednesday on social media, including 17 in August alone. “Russia’s inhuman war against Ukraine is putting our citizens at growing risk,” he wrote.
President Maia Sandu warned that Russia’s frontline was moving further west, “which is why air defense for Ukraine is urgent.
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