An incursion by a Russian drone into Moldova’s airspace this week forced the authorities there to temporarily ground several flights, including one carrying President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, the Moldovan government said on Thursday.
The drone flew into Moldovan airspace on Tuesday from the direction of Ukraine as Mr. Zelensky was leaving Chisinau, Moldova’s capital, for Norway, to attend the funeral of King Harald V and to discuss Ukrainian air defenses with Norwegian officials and European defense suppliers.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store of Norway told reporters on Wednesday that Mr. Zelensky’s plane “was almost hit by a drone as it was about to take off from Moldova,” but Mr. Store’s claim could not be independently verified.
Moldova’s government did not say whether the incursion constituted a direct threat to Mr. Zelensky. Bhanuja Rasia, a spokeswoman for Mr. Store’s office, told Norway’s state broadcaster that it was not clear how close the drone that delayed Mr. Zelensky’s trip had come to his plane.
The Moldovan authorities said that the drone came down about 100 miles from Chisinau’s airport. It was not immediately clear what had caused the drone to fall to the ground.
“All flights, including President Zelensky’s, were able to take off and land once the government had confirmation that the drone had come down,” Olga Rosca, a foreign policy adviser to President Maia Sandu of Moldova, said in an interview on Thursday.
The offices of Mr. Store and Mr. Zelensky did not immediately responded to requests for comment on Thursday.
Drones incursions have become increasingly common in Moldova and in other countries neighboring Ukraine or Russia, one of several ways in which the war between the two countries has spilled over their borders. Moldova recorded 17 such incursions in August alone, Ms. Rosca said.
Moldova, a tiny country of three million people squeezed between NATO and Ukraine, carries outsized importance for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Russia has trained foot soldiers to carry out violence during elections, orchestrated a massive vote buying scheme to elect pro-Russian candidates, and recently targeted critical infrastructure in Ukraine crucial to Moldova’s energy and water needs.
The Moldovan authorities said that Mr. Zelensky’s flight was one of three departing from Chisinau that had been delayed. Four arriving flights were also delayed, they said.
“A Russian drone forced us to close our airspace temporarily,” Ms. Sandu said on social media on Wednesday, adding that other Russian drones had struck a checkpoint between Ukraine and southeastern Moldova overnight on Tuesday, killing two civilians.
“Today Russia is striking the points where people cross into Moldova,” Ms. Sandu said. “Russia’s frontline is moving further west — which is why air defense for Ukraine is urgent.”
European governments have accused Russia of repeatedly sending drones to disrupt their airspace as part of a campaign of small-scale attacks against countries that support Ukraine. Russia has denied that it is behind such attacks.
Last week, German officials said that Russia was responsible for an attempted attack involving an explosive-laden drone that was found in early August in the freight terminal of the Leipzig/Halle Airport, near a Ukrainian cargo plane. Mr. Putin said that the German authorities had planted evidence in Leipzig and that Germany’s accusation was a “grave mistake.”
Moldova’s defense ministry said this week that a drone had been detected on Tuesday afternoon near Chisinau, forcing Moldovan authorities to temporarily close airspace in the center of the country before the drone quickly moved west into Romania. It was unclear whether the defense ministry was referring to the drone that delayed Mr. Zelensky’s plane.
In Oslo, representatives from Norway’s defense industry joined Mr. Store’s meeting with Mr. Zelensky on Tuesday night to discuss the development of ballistic missile defense capabilities for Ukraine, the Norwegian prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Ukraine is facing a dire shortage of air defenses. Its capital, Kyiv, came under renewed bombardment this week after a short pause Mr. Putin had ordered over the weekend while envoys from the Trump administration visited Moscow and Kyiv in hope of restarting peace talks.
Henrik Pryser Libell contributed reporting from Oslo and Michael Schwirtz from London.
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