Overview
- Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the presidential plane was “almost hit” by a drone while taking off from Moldova, creating a flight delay and prompting heightened security checks.
- Moldovan authorities briefly closed their airspace after detecting the unmanned aircraft and later reported the device fell and exploded about 160 kilometres from Chișinău.
- A source in the Ukrainian presidency characterized the event as an airspace alert caused by a Russian drone entering Moldovan and Romanian skies and said claims that Zelensky was endangered were exaggerated.
- Zelensky arrived in Oslo, held talks with Norwegian officials and defence-industry representatives that focused on strengthening air defences including the multinational FREYJA programme, and then flew on to Canada.
- The incident highlights how cross-border drone activity in the Russia–Ukraine conflict risks diplomatic travel and strengthens calls for integrated, multinational air-defence systems ahead of a difficult winter.