Volodymyr Zelensky's plane 'almost hit by drone' in terrifying near-miss

Mr Stoere told NRK: "His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was about to take off from Moldova.

"That is the reality he is facing."

The Norwegian premier did not disclose his source.

He also did not disclose how close the drone was to the aircraft.

Moldovan officials have not commented on the claim.

The incident took place amid broader disruptions caused by two Russian drones that violated Moldovan airspace yesterday.

Operations at Chisinau airport were temporarily halted.

Several inbound flights diverted to airports outside the country or were held in circling patterns, as tracked by Flightradar24.

One of the drones came down in a field, sparking a fire, whilst the other continued its trajectory into Romanian airspace.

The incursions represented a significant escalation.

Russian military hardware breached the sovereign territory of a non-combatant nation and disrupted civilian aviation at a time when a head of state was departing the country.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu condemned the drone intrusions as a "serious threat to people's lives" and separately denounced an attack on a border crossing with Ukraine in which two people were killed.

Despite the alarming incident during his departure from Moldova, Zelensky attended King Harald V's funeral in Oslo today.

He joined fellow heads of state in the procession through central Oslo, walking behind the monarch's coffin.

The Ukrainian president departed Norway shortly after the ceremony concluded.