Moldova clarifies drone alert delayed Zelensky plane on tarmac after Norwegian claim

Norwegian claim and Moldovan timeline

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated on 9 September that an aircraft carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had almost been struck by a Russian drone while preparing to depart from Moldova on 8 September. Moldovan officials quickly clarified that the Ukrainian presidential plane remained parked on the runway during the alert and was never in direct flight danger. Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu addressed the discrepancy after Norwegian media reported Støre's remarks following the Ukrainian delegation's arrival in Oslo for the funeral of King Harald V.

“The plane was on the ground. Here is the dissonance between what the Prime Minister of Norway announced and the reality on the ground. The plane was not in the process of taking off.”

Flight delays and drone trajectory

According to flight records and Moldovan government spokesperson Dumitru Ciorici, the Ukrainian government Airbus A319 landed at Chișinău International Airport at 15:17 local time from Kraków to collect presidential personnel. At 16:20, a Russian Shahed-type drone entered Moldovan airspace from Ukraine, crossed Transnistria, briefly entered Romanian airspace near Roman, and re-entered Moldova. Moldovan aviation authorities closed national airspace after 16:30, delaying three scheduled departures and four arrivals at Chișinău.

The drone crashed and exploded at approximately 17:15 in the vicinity of Mihăilenii Vechi in Moldova's Râșcani district, located about 160 kilometres away from Chișinău International Airport. Flight restrictions were subsequently lifted after authorities verified the crash after 17:20. The presidential Airbus A319 began taxiing at 17:47:55 and took off at 17:58, allowing Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena to continue their journey to Norway.

Departures delayed3

Arrivals delayed4

Departures delayed

3 flights

Arrivals delayed

4 flights

Data from the article text

Diplomatic reactions and security assessments

Moldova's ambassador to the United States, Vladislav Kulminski, told CNN that the timing and flight path of the drone suggested intentional activity rather than accidental drift.

“We do not believe that jet-powered drones simply enter the airspace of the Republic of Moldova for surveillance purposes while the plane of the Ukrainian president is on the ground at the airport.”

Kulminski noted that an official investigation remains underway to determine whether the drone deliberately targeted the route. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected any notion of an attack, telling Interfax that no threat to Zelensky's plane existed and asserting that Ukrainian officials had acknowledged this fact. Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, the former NATO Secretary General, stated that extensive security measures protect Zelensky during all foreign movements, noting that Russian special forces had targeted the Ukrainian president earlier in the conflict.

Regional air defense and border monitoring

The incident prompted Moldovan authorities to accelerate discussions with neighbouring Romania and Ukraine to enhance drone interception capabilities. Igor Grosu stated that while Moldova has established airspace monitoring, the country lacks domestic interception systems to shoot down intruding drones without partner assistance. Moldovan airspace recorded 17 Russian drone incursions during August alone. With Ukrainian airspace closed to civilian traffic since the 2022 invasion, Ukrainian officials rely on neighbouring transit hubs, including Rzeszów in Poland and Chișinău in Moldova, to conduct foreign diplomatic travel. Following the funeral proceedings in Oslo, Zelensky traveled to Canada on the night of 9 to 10 September.