Russian Drone Incident in Moldova Delays President Zelenskyy's Flight to Oslo

A Russian drone entering Moldovan airspace on Tuesday caused a delay in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's flight from Moldova to Oslo, where he was traveling to attend the funeral of King Harald V. The incident became public after Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told state broadcaster NRK that Zelenskyy's plane was nearly hit by a drone as it was about to take off. Store described the event as a reflection of the reality the Ukrainian president lives in. His office later clarified that a drone threat in Moldovan airspace delayed the flight, though it remained unknown how close the drone actually came to the aircraft.

Moldovan authorities provided further details, stating that the airspace was closed at 4:30 p.m. after a Russian drone entered from Ukraine and flew eastward. The drone eventually exploded approximately 160 kilometers from the Chisinau international airport at 5:20 p.m. after which flight restrictions were lifted and Zelenskyy's plane departed. A source from the Ukrainian presidency told AFP that the claim of a direct risk to the president was exaggerated, describing the event as an alarm triggered by a Russian drone entering Moldovan and Romanian airspace.

The Kremlin dismissed the incident, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating that the threat to the plane did not exist and claiming that Ukrainians had recognized this. Following his visit to Norway, where he also discussed air defense and met with defense contractors, President Zelenskyy traveled to Canada for talks on defense, economy, and energy cooperation.

Regional tensions remain high, as Moldovan officials noted an increase in Russian drone incursions. A separate Russian drone attack on a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova recently resulted in two deaths and three injuries on the Ukrainian side.