Drone alert delayed Zelenskyy’s flight from Moldova to Norway: what is known about the incident

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s flight from Chisinau to Oslo on September 8 was delayed after a Russian drone entered Moldovan airspace. Authorities temporarily restricted flights for safety reasons, and the presidential aircraft was cleared to depart only after the limitations were lifted.

Moldovan surveillance systems detected a Shahed-type drone at 4:20 p.m. as it entered the country from Ukraine. At 4:30 p.m., authorities restricted flights over central Moldova. Seven minutes later, the aircraft left Moldovan airspace near Ungheni and continued toward neighboring Romania.

The drone’s route did not end there. After entering Romanian airspace, it returned to Moldova, continued northward and eventually came down near the village of Mihăileni Vechi in Rîșcani district. Its crash sparked four separate fires, although authorities reported no injuries on the ground.

Daycom’s preliminary analysis of open and verified information points to two distinct parts of the story. Moldova has confirmed that Zelenskyy’s departure was delayed because of the airspace restrictions. The claim that the drone nearly struck his aircraft is not supported by published data showing how close the two came.

The restrictions affected more than the Ukrainian president’s flight. Moldova’s government said three departures and four arrivals were delayed. Aviation authorities also reported aircraft waiting for clearance in the air, remaining on the ground or being diverted to airports in neighboring Romania.

After 5:20 p.m., Moldovan authorities received confirmation that the drone had crashed roughly 160 kilometers from Chisinau airport. Once the situation was reassessed, the flight restrictions were lifted. A government spokesperson confirmed that these security measures had delayed Zelenskyy’s departure.

The following day, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the Ukrainian president’s plane had been “almost hit” by a drone as it prepared to leave Moldova. He cited the incident as an example of the threats Zelenskyy faces during the war, but did not provide technical details supporting the description.

Støre’s office later added an important qualification: it was known that the drone threat delayed the flight, but it was not known how close the aircraft came to Zelenskyy’s plane. The available information therefore does not establish whether there was an immediate risk of collision.

The Ukrainian side has not published a separate technical account of the incident or disclosed the distance between the drone and the presidential aircraft. Zelenskyy’s office confirmed his arrival in Oslo and subsequent meetings but did not provide a detailed account of the delayed departure from Moldova.

Zelenskyy arrived in Norway on the evening of September 8. The trip combined political talks with attendance at the funeral of King Harald V. After landing, the Ukrainian president met Støre, with further military assistance to Ukraine among the central issues discussed by the two leaders.

The talks focused heavily on air defense. Zelenskyy raised Ukraine’s need for interceptor missiles, including munitions for Patriot systems, continued assistance through the PURL mechanism and development of the FREYJA anti-ballistic program. Preparations for winter energy security were also discussed.

On September 9, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska attended the funeral of King Harald V, who died on August 28. Zelenskyy had previously stressed that he wanted to attend personally because of the support shown to Ukraine by Norway’s royal family during the war.

The drone’s flight path makes the episode especially complex. After entering Moldova, it crossed the Transnistrian sector and moved toward the central part of the country. At 4:32 p.m., it was tracked heading toward Chisinau, and five minutes later it had crossed into Romania near Iași.

Romanian radar systems also tracked the aerial target. Bucharest said it entered Romanian airspace at 4:37 p.m. around 30 kilometers southeast of Iași. Two minutes later, two Spanish F-18 fighter jets assigned to NATO air-policing duties were scrambled to monitor the situation.

The drone then continued over Romanian territory before radar contact was lost near the border at 5:02 p.m. Six minutes later, it was detected again over Moldova. Romanian authorities were later informed that the aircraft had crashed near Mihăileni Vechi, about 25 kilometers east of the border.

For Moldova, the incident was another reminder of how directly Russia’s war against Ukraine affects the security of neighboring states. Chisinau has repeatedly reported Russian missiles and drones crossing its airspace, debris falling on its territory and the need to strengthen national air-surveillance capabilities.

The response on September 8 also showed how the civilian side of such security measures works. Authorities did not wait to determine the drone’s full trajectory before restricting air traffic. Ordinary commercial flights and the Ukrainian president’s aircraft were delayed as flight safety took priority over schedules.

The available evidence does not support a claim that the drone was deliberately targeting Zelenskyy or his aircraft. No public data show the exact position of the presidential plane during the alert, the distance between the two aircraft or any attempt by the drone to alter course toward the Ukrainian leader’s flight.

The description of an “almost hit” therefore remains an assessment by Norway’s prime minister rather than an established technical fact. The confirmed part is significant on its own: a Russian attack drone entered the airspace of two countries and forced Moldova to temporarily restrict civilian aviation.

The incident shows how the air war surrounding Ukraine increasingly creates risks far beyond intended strike locations. This time, a single drone disrupted an international airport, triggered Romanian security measures, sent NATO fighters into the air and delayed the flight of the president of a country at war.