Flight carrying Zelenskyy to Norway was delayed in Moldova because of drone incursion

Moldova had closed its airspace to protect planes flying over the country, delaying three departures, including Zelenskyy’s.

CHISINAU, Moldova — A flight scheduled to carry Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Moldova to Norway was delayed when authorities closed Moldova’s airspace because of a drone incursion, a government spokesperson said Wednesday.

Moldovan police said a Russian drone crashed on Tuesday in a sunflower field on the outskirts of a village in Riscani district, which caused four fires to break out but no injuries.

On Wednesday, government spokesperson Dumitru Ciorici said Moldova had closed its airspace on Tuesday afternoon to protect aircraft flying over the country at the time, delaying three departures, including the one carrying Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian plane UR-ABA, believed to carry Zelenskyy and his and his wife, Olena Zelenska, lands at Gardermoen airport near Oslo before Norwegian King Harald V's funeral Wednesday.Frederik Ringnes / NTB/AFP via Getty ImagesMoldovan authorities confirmed the drone came down and exploded 100 miles from Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were lifted, and Zelenskyy’s plane took off later than scheduled.

The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighboring Romania, a NATO member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.