Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said this week that a Russian drone nearly struck President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plane as it prepared to take off from Moldova, a dramatic account that a source inside Zelensky’s own administration quickly called overstated.
Zelensky’s flight was delayed Tuesday at Chisinau airport in Moldova after authorities detected drones entering the country’s airspace, as he traveled to Oslo to attend the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V. Store, speaking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, said the plane “was almost hit by a drone as it was about to take off from Moldova,” adding, “that is the reality he is facing.” Store did not specify how close the drone came to the aircraft or provide a source for the claim.
What Happened
According to Moldovan and European officials cited by Euronews, authorities detected an unidentified drone and grounded flights at Chisinau airport, including Zelensky’s. Spanish fighter jets conducting a NATO air-policing patrol tracked the drone as it crossed into Romanian airspace before it came down in a field, sparking a small fire but causing no injuries. Zelensky’s plane was cleared for takeoff once the drone had gone down. Ukrainian open-source monitoring channels identified the aircraft as a Geran-4, a jet-powered variant of the Shahed-type drones Russia has used extensively against Ukraine.
A second drone was reported to have entered Moldovan airspace around the same time and continued into Romania. Moldovan officials did not comment on Store’s specific characterization of the incident.
Latest Developments
A source inside Zelensky’s administration told AFP that Store’s account was overstated, saying the episode amounted to an airspace alert triggered by the drone incursion rather than a near-collision involving Zelensky’s specific aircraft. Zelensky went on to attend King Harald’s funeral in Oslo as planned.
Separately, Moldovan President Maia Sandu condemned the airspace intrusions as “a serious threat to people’s lives.” Ukrainian officials also reported a Russian attack overnight on a border crossing at Starokozache in Ukraine’s Odesa region, near the Moldovan border, which killed two people, according to Meduza.
Key Facts
- Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Store said a drone nearly hit Zelensky’s plane as it prepared to depart Moldova on Tuesday.
- A source in Zelensky’s office told AFP the account was overstated, describing an airspace alert rather than a near-miss with his aircraft.
- The drone was tracked by NATO-patrolling Spanish fighter jets through Romanian airspace before crashing in a field with no injuries reported.
- A second Russian drone also crossed into Moldovan and then Romanian airspace around the same time.
- Moldova’s president condemned the airspace intrusions as a serious threat to people’s safety.
Reactions
Moldovan officials did not directly address Store’s version of events. Sandu’s condemnation focused on the broader pattern of Russian drone incursions into Moldovan airspace rather than the specific claim about Zelensky’s plane. Ukrainian monitoring channels that identified the drone as a Geran-4 did not comment on how close it came to any aircraft.
Background
Russian drones and debris have crossed into NATO and EU member states’ airspace on multiple occasions during the war, including into Poland, Romania and the Baltic states, prompting recurring air-policing responses from allied fighter jets. Moldova, which is not a NATO member but borders Ukraine, has reported repeated incidents of Russian drones entering its airspace during the conflict. Zelensky has traveled extensively for diplomatic engagements in recent weeks, including a first-ever visit by senior US envoys to Kyiv earlier this month.
Why It Matters
The discrepancy between Store’s dramatic public account and the more measured description from Zelensky’s own office illustrates the difficulty of verifying real-time details during fast-moving security incidents, even when the underlying event, a Russian drone entering allied airspace near Zelensky’s location, is not in dispute. The episode also underscores the continued risk Russian drone incursions pose to countries neighboring Ukraine, regardless of how close any specific aircraft came to danger.
What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether Norwegian officials will clarify the basis for Store’s account or whether Moldovan authorities will issue a more detailed public timeline of Tuesday’s incident. Attention is also likely to remain on the broader pattern of Russian drone incursions into Moldovan and Romanian airspace, which have continued despite repeated NATO air-policing responses.
Sources: CNN, Reuters, The Washington Times, Meduza, The Japan Times, Euronews.
