Drone threat delays Zelenskyy’s flight from Chisinau, Moldova, to Oslo

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s flight from Chisinau, Moldova, to Oslo was delayed on Tuesday evening after drones were detected in Moldovan airspace around the planned departure time.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre initially said Zelenskyy’s aircraft (an Airbus A319-115X CJ registered UR-ABA) had “nearly been hit”, but the Norwegian Prime Minister’s Office later clarified that the actual proximity of the drones to the government aircraft remained unknown.

Moldova’s Defence Ministry confirmed that a drone had violated national airspace, amid reported Russian attacks near the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. The incursion also prompted the temporary closure of the Starokozache border crossing, located roughly two hours by road from the airport used by Zelenskyy. Reuters reports that arrivals and departures at Chi?in?u were temporarily suspended on Tuesday because two Russian drones had entered Moldovan airspace. Some inbound flights were diverted or placed in holding patterns. Zelenskyy’s flight was consequently delayed.

The Ukrainian government aircraft subsequently departed safely and arrived at Oslo Gardermoen on Tuesday evening. Zelenskyy travelled to Norway to attend King Harald’s funeral and hold talks concerning the war and Ukraine’s need for additional air-defence systems.

While the incident caused an operational delay and an apparent security threat, available information does not confirm that a drone came close to—or was on a collision course with—the aircraft.