Zelenskyy’s Plane Was Delayed by Drones—but Was It Nearly Hit?

Zelenskyy’s Plane Was Delayed by Drones—but Was It Nearly Hit?
A drone alert in Moldova briefly turned a routine presidential departure into a test of Europe’s air defenses. The incident delayed Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s flight to Norway, but competing accounts differ sharply over how close the danger came.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre presented the episode as a stark example of the risks surrounding Ukraine’s leader, saying, “His plane was almost hit by a drone. That is the reality he is facing.” The account suggests Zelenskyy’s aircraft was directly exposed as it prepared to leave Moldova for the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V.

Moldovan officials said two Russian drones entered the region’s airspace, prompting authorities to suspend arrivals and departures at Chișinău International Airport. One drone landed in a field north of the capital and caused a fire, while the other continued into Romanian airspace, according to the report. Moldova’s President Maia Sandu called the incursions a “serious threat to people’s lives,” while Zelenskyy later held talks in Oslo on military assistance, including air defense support.

The Ukrainian presidency offered a more cautious interpretation. A source told AFP that the event was an alert after a Russian drone entered Moldovan and Romanian airspace, but described the claim that Zelenskyy himself was at risk as “exaggerated.” That distinction is central: the drone intrusion and airport disruption are broadly acknowledged, while the claim of a near miss involving the president’s plane remains unsubstantiated in the available accounts.

Both narratives point to the same wider reality—Russia’s war is generating security risks beyond Ukraine’s borders. But one emphasizes personal danger to Zelenskyy; the other portrays a serious regional airspace violation without confirming that his aircraft was nearly struck.