Russian drone enters Moldovan airspace approaching Zelenskyy's plane; European joint air defense project FREYJA advances in Oslo

According to Al Jazeera reports, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on the 9th that the plane carrying Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, flying from Moldova to Oslo to attend the funeral of Norwegian King Harald V, nearly was hit by a drone during takeoff.

"His flight nearly collided with a drone when taking off from Moldova. This is the reality he faces," Støre said in an interview with Norwegian state broadcaster NRK. Støre did not disclose his source of information, nor did he indicate how close the drone was to the plane.

According to Al Jazeera reports, a Moldovan government spokesperson subsequently issued a statement confirming that the incident occurred before Zelenskyy's plane took off and involved a Russian drone. The statement said that, due to the drone alert, Moldovan airspace was temporarily closed; the plane was only permitted to take off after authorities confirmed the drone had crashed within Moldovan territory.

This is the latest example of Russian military drone activity extending into the airspace of a third country and directly affecting the plane of a Ukrainian leader transiting through that country. Zelenskyy has previously attended international events via routes that enter Moldova from Ukraine and then take off from Moldova to other European cities.

During his time in Oslo, Zelenskyy held talks with Støre and discussed with defense industry executives the European anti-missile defense system project codenamed FREYJA. According to Al Jazeera reports, the talks focused on delineating responsibilities between the government and defense companies, and on agreeing on specific steps for producing "the first practical results." Zelenskyy wrote on social media: "We look forward to seeing the first practical results. Thank you to Norway for hosting this meeting. I am grateful for the willingness of all partners to cooperate. Protecting European airspace is our shared responsibility."

According to Al Jazeera reports, Ukrainian local officials reported on the 9th that Russian attacks that day caused at least 8 deaths, with attack sites including the Ukraine-Moldova border area and southeastern Ukraine. The drone alert encountered by Zelenskyy's plane in Moldovan airspace and the civilian casualties in Ukraine's border area occurred on the same day, a temporal juxtaposition that places the "practical results" promised by the FREYJA project alongside the immediate threats currently borne by the airspace of Ukraine and its neighbors.