Zelenskyy's plane nearly hit by drone in 'deliberate Russian attack' on way to Norway for King's funeral
The plane was leaving Moldova when the near miss occurred
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plane was almost struck by a drone when en route to Norway for the funeral of King Harald on Tuesday, it has been claimed.
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As the war between his nation and Russia intensifies, the plane on which Zelenskyy was aboard endured a near miss before departing from Moldova.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told NRK on Wednesday: "His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was about to take off from Moldova".
Moldovan politician Vladislav Kulminski, who serves as the nation's ambassador to the United States, suggested that the drone was from Russia and that the incident was deliberate.
He said: “Moldova is a small country…So is it an accident that a Russian drone exploded in Moldova?
"It is very well known that Pres Zelensky uses Kishinev airport, uses Moldovan airspace for his foreign visits. So most likely this is not an accident.”
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A senior Ukrainian official who was aboard the jet said that they believe the drone was a Russian-made Shahed-type fitted with a jet engine.
"Zelenskyy also offered the use of a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet to intercept the drone", according to Ukrainian officials.
The incident comes amid the deepest strikes on Russia since the start of the war, which hit Siberian gas fields on Tuesday.
Ukraine's Special Forces said they carried out attacks on two gas condensate facilities in the region — in Novy Urengoy and in Purovsky district. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised the strikes for their effect on the Russian economy.
The barren region's governor, Dmitry Artyukhov, said on Wednesday that Ukraine had embarked on the first such attack on the country's natural gas hinterland.
Artyukhov did not identify the facility involved.
Russia's energy company Gazprom did not reply to a request for comment about the attack on the region, some 3,000 km (1,800 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The Ukrainian statement gave no details of any damage inflicted on the sites. It described the two plants as "crucial for the gas condensate industry."
"Previously, this was considered an absolutely safe area away from the front for the aggressor," it said.
Zelenskiy said it was "important to respond in an entirely fair manner to the Russian war and in just such a way that the enemy feels it."