What to Know About the Russian Drone That Threatened Zelenskyy’s Plane Over Moldova

Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, told local broadcaster NRK that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane was “almost hit” by a drone as it took off in Moldova. Støre did not provide further details or specify the distance between the drone and the aircraft.

Zelenskyy was traveling from Moldova to Oslo to attend King Harald of Norway’s funeral before continuing to Ottawa to meet Canadian leaders.

Moldovan authorities said a drone entered the country’s airspace on Tuesday via the Ukrainian border. Preliminary data showed the uncrewed aerial vehicle was a Shahed, described in the report as Russia’s main attack drone.

Officials said the Shahed entered Moldova twice in the late afternoon, prompting a temporary airspace closure. The reported entry time, about 4:20 p.m., matched when Zelenskyy would have been preparing to fly to Oslo.

Moldova’s government told Reuters that Zelenskyy’s plane was cleared for takeoff after the drones exited Moldovan airspace. Business Insider reported that Zelenskyy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

A separate public statement said the Shahed had initially flown into Romania before returning to Moldovan airspace. It later crashed in the northwestern district of Glodeni, where officials said it started a fire but caused no reported casualties.

The report underscores the risks posed by drones straying beyond Ukraine’s borders during Russia’s war. Business Insider noted that the Kremlin can launch hundreds of Shaheds and decoy drones at Ukraine in a single day, and that some have been documented entering nearby countries including Poland and Romania.

NATO has accused Russia of intentionally sending drones into Eastern Europe to test its reaction to potential threats. Moscow denies having any such plans.