Jonas Gahr Store says the incident occurred when the plane carrying the Ukrainian president took off from Moldova. Published September 9, 2026 September 9, 2026 Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Moldova to Oslo was nearly hit by a drone. Zelenskyy, whose country has been fighting a Russian invasion that began in February 2022, arrived in the Norwegian capital on Tuesday afternoon to attend the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V. “His flight was almost hit by a drone as it took off from Moldova,” Store told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday. “That’s the reality he lives in.” Store did not say what his source was for this information or how close the “drone” was. Later on Wednesday, a Moldovan government spokesperson confirmed the incident, saying in a statement that it occurred on Tuesday before takeoff and involved a Russian drone. The spokesman said the departure was delayed when authorities closed Moldova’s airspace over a drone alert and Zelenskyy’s plane was cleared to take off once it had been established. that the drone had fallen in Moldovan territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Moldovan President Maia Sandu walk during the funeral procession of King Harald V in Oslo. [Dylan Martinez/Reuters]While in Oslo, Zelenskyy held talks with Store, and the two leaders also met with defense industry executives to discuss the advancement of a European anti-ballistic system codenamed FREYJA. In a social media post, Zelenskyy said the meeting focused on dividing responsibilities between governments and defense companies and agreeing on the steps needed to produce the first practical results of the program. “We look forward to seeing the first practical results. I thank Norway for hosting this meeting. I thank our partners for their willingness to work together. Protecting Europe’s skies is our shared responsibility,” said the Ukrainian president. His comments came as Ukrainian regional officials said at least eight people were killed in Russian attacks on Wednesday, including along the Ukraine-Moldova border and in the southeast.
