Ukrainian President's Plane Avoids Drone Collision En Route to Oslo Funeral

New-Delhi: A plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy narrowly avoided a collision with an unidentified drone while taking off from Moldova en route to Oslo to attend the funeral of King Harald V amid the ongoing war with Russia. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre confirmed the alarming incident and highlighted the constant dangers surrounding the Ukrainian leader’s movements. “His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was taking off from Moldova. That is the reality he is facing,” PM told NRK. The incident has not yet been confirmed by the Ukrainian authorities. Notably, Zelenskyy safely arrived in Oslo on Tuesday evening following his departure from Moldova to join world leaders and international dignitaries for the royal funeral service after meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Clarifying the details of the incident, State Secretary Bhanuja Rasiah at the Prime Minister’s Office told NRK that the airspace risk directly impacted the flight’s schedule. “There was a drone threat in the airspace over Moldova yesterday, which delayed Zelenskyy’s flight on its way to Oslo. These are threats he lives with every day. It is uncertain how close the drones were to his plane.” NRK cited him as saying. Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg also confirmed that President Zelenskyy personally recounted the chaotic departure shortly after landing in the Norwegian capital. “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. But I don’t know enough about the details to explain anything more,” Stoltenberg said. “There were some problems getting out, but it’s never easy to get out of Ukraine. But the most important thing was that he took the time, the effort it took for him to come to the funeral,” he added. Despite the transit hazards, Stoltenberg noted how significant it was to see the wartime president in attendance, stating it is impressive that the Ukrainian president was able to walk side by side with them during King Harald’s funeral on Wednesday, NRK reported.