Zelenskyy's plane at risk due to drone

A plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced a drone threat while preparing to fly from Moldova to Norway. This was reported to the Norwegian state broadcaster NRK by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

"His plane was close to a drone collision when it was supposed to take off from Moldova. That is the reality he lives in," Støre said.

However, the Prime Minister did not provide details on how close the drone came to the plane or where it was launched from. Later, the Norwegian Prime Minister's office clarified that the drone threat in Moldovan airspace delayed Zelenskyy's flight to Oslo. It is currently unknown how close the drone was to the aircraft.

Moldovan officials also confirmed that the country's airspace was temporarily closed on September 8 due to a drone threat. As a result, several flights at Chisinau airport were delayed. Zelenskyy's plane also continued its flight after the threat was neutralized.

According to reports, one of the drones that entered Moldovan airspace crashed into a field in the Rîșcani district, causing a fire. Another drone entered Romanian airspace.

The Ukrainian President arrived in Oslo on the evening of September 8. He attended the funeral of King Harald V of Norway.

So far, there is no official information on whether the drone intentionally targeted Zelenskyy's plane or if the incident was accidental. Some information provided by the Ukrainian side assessed the level of danger to Zelenskyy's plane slightly differently than the Norwegian Prime Minister's statement.