Kyiv Responds to Statement About Drone That Allegedly Nearly Hit Zelensky's Plane

Ukrainian authorities described as an exaggeration the statement by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that President Volodymyr Zelensky's plane allegedly nearly became a target of a Russian drone while departing from Moldova. A source in the Office of the President of Ukraine explained that an air alert was declared during Zelensky's stay in Moldova after a Russian drone violated the airspace of Moldova and Romania. According to the source, there was no talk of an immediate threat to the presidential plane. Due to the incident, Moldovan authorities temporarily closed the country's airspace on Tuesday after 16:30. This led to the delay of seven flights — four incoming and three outgoing. Among them was the plane that Zelensky was supposed to take off on. Later, after 17:20, Moldovan authorities reported that the drone had fallen and exploded approximately 160 kilometers from Chișinău International Airport. After that, the restrictions were lifted, the air alert was canceled, and the presidential aircraft departed for Oslo with a delay, where Volodymyr Zelensky arrived on Tuesday evening for the farewell ceremony for King Harald of Norway. This incident once again demonstrated that the presence of Russian drones near Ukraine's borders can affect not only security but also the operation of civil aviation in neighboring countries. In such situations, authorities temporarily close airspace even in the absence of an immediate threat to airports. The need for clarification arose from [Støre's words](https://bb.lv/statja/v-mire/2026/09/09/samolet-zelenskogo-edva-ne-popal-pod-udar-drona), which were expressed on Wednesday. The Norwegian Prime Minister stated that Zelensky's plane "was nearly hit by a drone" while departing from Moldova, but he did not provide any additional details or confirmations of his statement. Thus, Kyiv acknowledges that the departure was indeed delayed due to the air alert and the closure of the sky over Moldova, but rejects the claim that the presidential plane was under immediate threat of being struck by a drone.