Zelenskyy’s plane nearly hit by drone while leaving Moldova

OSLO, Sept 9: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane was nearly hit by a drone while taking off from Moldova for Norway, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Wednesday, highlighting the security risks surrounding the Ukrainian leader amid the ongoing war.

“His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was taking off from Moldova,” Store said, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. Zelenskyy arrived in Oslo on Tuesday evening to attend the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V and later held talks with Store and other Norwegian officials on the war in Ukraine and Kyiv’s urgent need for additional air defense systems.

Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who attended the meeting, confirmed that Zelenskyy had spoken about difficulties during his departure from Moldova. “He was delayed, and there were some threats against the plane,” Stoltenberg said, declining to provide further details.

Store said additional air defense for Ukraine was among the key issues discussed during the meetings. Norwegian and Ukrainian defense industries are also examining whether Norway can provide additional air defense capabilities and whether cooperation could eventually enable Ukraine to manufacture such systems domestically.