Zelensky's plane 'was almost hit by a drone' as it jetted to funeral

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:31 BST, 9 September 2026 | Updated: 21:38 BST, 9 September 2026

Volodymyr Zelensky's plane was 'almost hit' by a Russian drone moments after take off, as the Ukrainian president flew to Oslo to attend the King of Norway's funeral.The dramatic incident is said to have happened minutes after the plane left the runway on Tuesday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told public broadcaster NRK.'His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was about to take off from Moldova. That is the reality he is facing,' Stoere said.The politician did not say what his source was for this information or how close the drone had come to his plane. A source in the Ukrainian presidency offered a more nuanced account, adding: 'It was an alert in Moldova when a Russian (drone) entered Moldovan and Romanian airspace.'They added that any inference Zelensky had been at risk was 'exaggerated'. Volodymyr Zelensky's plane was 'almost hit' by a Russian drone moments after take off, as the Ukrainian president flew to Oslo to attend the King of Norway's funeral The dramatic incident is said to have happened minutes after the plane left the runway in Moldova on TuesdayZelensky attended the funeral of King Harald V of Norway on Wednesday, marching behind his coffin along with other heads of state in central Oslo. The Ukrainian leader arrived in Oslo on Tuesday evening, when he held talks with Stoere, Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide on Norwegian military aid, including air-defence support and civilian assistance. Their discussion included the FREYJA anti-ballistic missile programme – an initiative aimed at building alternatives to US-made Patriot interceptors.On Wednesday, he joined a host of other foreign dignitaries, including Prince William, at the funeral of King Harald, who died on August 28 aged 89.He left Norway after the funeral ended and headed to Canada to begin talks with leaders there, Stoere revealed.