Zelensky’s plane almost hit by drone on Tuesday, Norway PM says

By Reuters

Oslo, Norway (Reuters) — The plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Oslo for the funeral of ​the King of Norway was nearly struck by a drone ‌when taking off from Moldova on Tuesday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday.

“His plane was almost hit by a drone as it ​was about to take off from Moldova. That is the ​reality he is facing,” said Støre, who did not say ⁠what his source was for the information or how close the drone ​came.

The departure from Moldova of the plane carrying Zelensky to Norway was delayed when authorities closed the country’s airspace because of a drone alert, a Moldovan government spokesperson said Wednesday.

The spokesperson said the president’s aircraft was later cleared for take-off once it had been established that a Russian drone had come down on Moldovan territory.

The Ukrainian government has not yet confirmed the incident took place.

Arrivals ​and departures at Chisinau airport were suspended for a time on Tuesday in connection with two Russian drones that entered Moldovan airspace. Several flights bound for the capital landed ​at airports outside Moldova or were forced into holding patterns, according ​to data from Flightradar24.

One drone landed in a field, triggering a fire, while the ‌second carried ⁠on into Romanian airspace.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu denounced the intrusions as a “serious threat to people’s lives” and also condemned an attack on a border crossing with Ukraine that killed two people.

Zelensky attended the funeral of King Harald ​V of Norway ​on Wednesday, marching ⁠behind his coffin along with other heads of state in central Oslo. He left Norway soon after the ​funeral was over.

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