Zelenskyy's Plane Nearly Struck by Drone Leaving Moldova, Norway PM Says, Ukrainian Source Calls Claim Exaggerated

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Wednesday, September 9, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plane was almost hit by a drone as it took off from Moldova en route to Oslo.

"His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova. That is the reality he lives in," Store told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, according to CBS News. Store gave no further details about the drone or how close it came to the aircraft.

A source in the Ukrainian presidency offered a different picture, telling AFP it was an "alert in Moldova when a Russian drone entered Moldovan and Romanian airspace." The same source described the claim that Zelenskyy was personally at risk as "exaggerated." Neither account can be independently verified from the sources available, and Store did not identify where his information came from.

Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who served as NATO secretary general when Russia's full-scale invasion began, backed up the general thrust of Store's account without confirming specifics. "He told us about it last night when we had a meeting with him. I don't dare go into the details about it, but he was delayed, and there were some threats against the plane," Stoltenberg said, according to Anadolu Agency.

Store also told NRK that Zelenskyy had a rough night before their meeting. "I asked him how his night had been, and he said it had not been a good night because he had been on the phone receiving updates about where the missiles had struck," Store said, according to Euronews. "It is a very dramatic situation. It makes a strong impression."

Zelenskyy landed in Oslo Tuesday evening, September 8, ahead of the funeral for King Harald V, who died August 28 at age 89. The funeral drew dignitaries from more than 20 countries, including Britain's Prince William and Japan's Crown Prince Akishino, according to CBS News.

While in Norway, Zelenskyy met twice with Store, plus Stoltenberg and Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, on Norwegian military and civilian aid, including air defense support. Zelenskyy also met defense industry executives to discuss a European anti-ballistic system codenamed FREYJA, according to Al Jazeera. "We expect to see the first practical results. I am grateful to Norway for hosting this meeting," Zelenskyy said in a social media post. Store told NRK the two sides were still working out whether Ukraine could get additional air defense systems from partners or build the capability itself, saying bluntly, "they have holes in the roof."

Zelenskyy left Norway after the funeral for Canada, Store told NRK.

A Separate Front: Frozen Assets

The Oslo visit coincided with a Norwegian legal action against Russia. Norwegian authorities seized the Russian vessel Professor Molchanov in the Svalbard archipelago on Wednesday, acting on a Nord-Troms district court order dated August 31, according to Breitbart, which cited the Associated Press. Svalbard Governor Lars Fause confirmed the ship, used for commercial expedition cruises, is barred from leaving Barentsburg.

The seizure was requested by Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz to help enforce a $4.22 billion arbitration award a Hague tribunal ordered Russia to pay in 2023 over its 2014 seizure of Naftogaz's Crimean assets. "Russia cannot evade responsibility simply by refusing to comply with an international arbitral award. We will continue to pursue Russian assets around the world," Naftogaz CEO Sergii Fedorenko said.

Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the vessel seizure an act of "state terrorism" and linked it to Zelenskyy's separate warning that foreign airlines flying into Russia are no longer safe because of Ukrainian long-range drone strikes. Putin said such incidents complicate prospects for peace talks and accused Ukraine's allies of complicity in "international terrorism" for staying silent on the issue, according to Breitbart's account of the AP report.

The Broader Backdrop

The Oslo trip unfolded against an intensifying air war. Zelenskyy said Russia launched nearly 1,500 drones over four days in late August, more than half of them jet-powered, and accused Moscow of trying to wear down Ukraine's population, Fox News reported. Ukraine's Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said roughly 90% of retail chains' food logistics infrastructure had been destroyed in strikes on warehouses, though he said Ukrainians would not go hungry as retailers find alternative delivery methods.

Ukrainian regional officials said at least eight people were killed in Russian attacks on Wednesday, including strikes near the Ukraine-Moldova border and in the country's southeast, according to Al Jazeera.

No independent confirmation of the flight path, altitude, or proximity of any drone to Zelenskyy's aircraft has been provided by Norwegian, Ukrainian, or Moldovan authorities. The Ukrainian presidency's own account frames the episode as an airspace alert rather than a direct threat to the president. Whether the FREYJA air-defense program Zelenskyy discussed in Oslo produces concrete deliveries remains to be seen.