Norwegian PM Reveals Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Flight Narrowly Avoided Drone Strike

A plane carrying Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy lands at Gardermoen, Norway, on September 8, 2026 [NTB/Frederik Ringnes via Reuters]

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has revealed that an aircraft transporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Moldova to Oslo narrowly avoided a drone strike. President Zelenskyy, whose nation has been engaged in a war against a Russian invasion launched in February 2022, traveled to Norway’s capital on Tuesday evening to participate in the funeral services for Norway’s King Harald V.

“His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store stated to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday, adding, “That is the reality he lives in.” Store did not disclose his source for the information or specify the exact proximity of the drone.

Images showed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda, and Moldova’s President Maia Sandu participating in King Harald V’s funeral procession in Oslo [Dylan Martinez/Reuters].

During his visit to Oslo, President Zelenskyy engaged in discussions with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. The two leaders also convened with defense industry executives to deliberate on the advancement of a European anti-ballistic system named FREYJA.

Via a social media statement, President Zelenskyy indicated that the discussions centered on allocating responsibilities between governmental bodies and defense firms, alongside establishing agreements required to yield initial practical outcomes from the initiative.

“We expect to see the first practical results. I am grateful to Norway for hosting this meeting. I thank our partners for their readiness to work together. Protecting Europe’s skies is our shared responsibility,” expressed the Ukrainian president.

The disclosures accompanied reports from Ukrainian regional authorities stating that a minimum of eight individuals died in Russian military assaults on Wednesday, affecting regions along the Ukraine-Moldova border and the southeastern territory.