Zelenskyy’s plane faced drone threat while leaving Moldova, Norway says

The plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife was delayed while leaving Moldova for Oslo because of a drone threat in the country’s airspace, according to the Norwegian prime minister’s office.

Speaking to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Zelenskyy’s plane “was almost hit by a drone as it was taking off from Moldova” and described the incident as part of the reality the Ukrainian president faces.

“This is the reality he has to live in,” Støre said.

A state secretary at the Norwegian prime minister’s office, Bhanuja Rasiah, later told NRK that there had been a drone threat in Moldovan airspace that delayed Zelenskyy’s flight to Oslo. However, it was not known how close the drones had come to the aircraft.

NRK said it had contacted the Ukrainian president’s office and the Ukrainian embassy but had not received a response at the time of publication.

The incident came as Zelenskyy and his wife travelled to Norway to attend the funeral of King Harald. He arrived in Oslo on Tuesday evening and went directly from the airport to the Plaza Hotel for a meeting with members of the Norwegian government.

Drone activity in Moldova

The reported threat occurred amid renewed Russian drone activity in and around Moldova and neighbouring Ukraine.

According to the BBC, Russian drones struck the border region between Moldova and Ukraine overnight on Wednesday, prompting the temporary closure of the Starokozache border crossing. The airport from which Zelenskyy departed for Oslo is around a two-hour drive from the crossing.

Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan has previously said that 17 drones had hit Moldovan territory during August.

Separately, around the time Zelenskyy’s plane was leaving Chisinau, Moldova’s airspace was partially closed following the reported entry of a Russian drone. Moldova’s Defence Ministry said the incident occurred at around 4:20 p.m. local time and that the airspace over the central part of the country was partially closed for the safety of civil aviation.

The drone was initially believed to be a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle. It was later reported to have crashed in a field, although its type was not specified. The drone subsequently left Moldovan airspace and flew towards Romania, according to the information provided.

Romania also scrambled fighter jets on the same day following an alleged airspace violation, while operations at Iași airport were temporarily suspended.

‘He has been under threat all the time’

Støre said he had asked Zelenskyy on Wednesday morning how his night had been. The Ukrainian president told him it had not been a good one because he had spent the night receiving information about where missiles had struck.

“It is a very dramatic situation. It makes a strong impression,” Støre said.

Zelenskyy has held several meetings with the Norwegian prime minister during his visit, including discussions on Ukraine’s need for additional air defence.

Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who was also present when Zelenskyy discussed the problems surrounding his departure from Moldova, said he did not want to go into details.

“He was delayed, and there were some threats against the plane,” Stoltenberg told NRK, adding that he did not know enough about the details to explain what had happened.

Stoltenberg, who served as NATO secretary general when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, said Zelenskyy had been under threat throughout the war.

“I have been together with him at NATO summits in Washington and elsewhere, and then there has always been full security,” Stoltenberg said. “But it is a country at war, and Zelenskyy is someone who is threatened with his life.”

Opposition Conservative Party leader Ine Eriksen Søreide also described the Ukrainian president’s security situation as extreme.

“He lives under a constant threat,” she told NRK, while stressing that Zelenskyy had remained in Ukraine and continued to meet world leaders to maintain international support for his country.

Air defence at centre of Norway talks

The security concerns surrounding Zelenskyy’s journey came as Norway and Ukraine discussed further air-defence support.

At the meeting in Oslo, Zelenskyy spoke with Støre, Stoltenberg and Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide about the situation in Ukraine and the country’s need for additional air-defence capabilities.

Støre said Norway was not yet ready to announce a concrete outcome. Norwegian and Ukrainian defence industries are working to determine whether additional air-defence systems can be supplied and whether an industrial arrangement could allow Ukraine to build such systems itself.

“To put it plainly, they have holes in the roof,” Støre said, referring to Ukraine’s air-defence needs.

In a post on X on Wednesday evening, Zelenskyy thanked Norway for the meetings and confirmed that the discussions had included the Freya air-defence project, which is being developed by defence technology company Fire Point.

The reported drone threat occurred against this backdrop, with Ukraine continuing to seek stronger air defences while Russian missile and drone attacks remain a persistent threat.

Sources: NRK, EUalive’s partner European Pravda

Caption: The plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska arrives at Gardermoen Airport, Norway, 22 October 2025. The president is on a tour of Europe and is in Norway for a meeting with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. EPA/JAVAD PARSA