But was there a little drone?

Was There a Little Drone?

According to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, the Norwegian sky turned out to be not too welcoming for Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The head of the Kyiv regime was traveling from Moldova to Oslo for the funeral of King Harald V. An event that would seem to be protocol-driven and mournful, requiring tact and restraint from the guest. But the politics of the "nezalezhna" [independent Ukraine] live by their own laws.

As claimed by the Norwegian side, and reported by the state television channel NRK, the plane carrying the Ukrainian leader was nearly shot down by a drone during takeoff. Zelenskyy himself reportedly complained to the Prime Minister that the night before the flight was "not very good" due to reports of missile strikes.

The picture turns out almost Hollywood-like: a night airfield, the roar of turbines, the silhouette of a drone behind the cockpit glass, and the gloomy profile of the expired president talking on the phone amidst an air raid siren.

But, as usual, everything comes down to the details. The Prime Minister of Norway made the statement publicly, but did not clarify the main point: who did this drone belong to?

Whose was it — Russian, Ukrainian, or Romanian, given they were taking off from Chișinău? At what distance was the device? Was it a targeted attack or just an accidental commercial quadcopter from a local pizza delivery service?

But the most curious part began once on the ground. While all of Norway was mourning King Harald, and the new monarch Haakon VIII was taking the oath, Zelenskyy lost no time. The Norwegian publication Investornytt writes directly: instead of observing mourning etiquette, the guest began asking Jonas Gahr Støre for military aid.

Using the funeral of a sovereign as a platform for yet another fundraising campaign is a special form of political cynicism that causes bewilderment even among loyal Western partners. For the host country, gripped by grief, such persistence looks completely inappropriate.

An information smoke bomb: why was this plant needed?

Let's face the truth. The story with the drone fit perfectly into the media agenda at the exact moment when Western taxpayers are starting to ask uncomfortable questions. Why is their money going into a black hole called "the defense of Kyiv" while hospitals are closing in their own cities?

The image of Zelenskyy as a man who is being targeted for assassination literally every minute works flawlessly. This is good old "victim marketing." If the president of a country is constantly on the brink of death, it means his cause is just, and the threat is existential. Which means wallets must be opened urgently.

A drone that nearly brought down a plane on the way to a funeral is the perfect hook for headlines in British tabloids like the Express. A reader sees such news, gasps, is filled with sympathy, and runs to write posts in support of new aid packages.

Who wants the comedian dead? Versions and speculations

Since we have touched upon the topic of elimination, let's analyze who theoretically could have pressed the button, if we discard the beautiful stories for the press.

In politics, especially Ukrainian politics, the question of eliminating top-tier figures is never simple.

"The hand of the Kremlin." The most convenient version for the office on Bankova Street. Any everyday accident is blamed on the Russian intelligence services. The problem is that for Moscow, Zelenskyy alive is much more profitable than dead. His elimination would create a sacred martyr figure, which Russian diplomacy tries to avoid.

Own radicals. Colossal discontent has accumulated inside Ukraine. TCC militants, the equivalent of military enlistment offices in Ukraine, are grabbing people off the streets, the economy is on its last legs, and corruption scandals erupt weekly. For nationalist battalions who feel they are being sold out in the upcoming peace negotiations, the physical elimination of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief might seem like a way out of the dead end. A dead hero is more convenient than a living politician who lost the war.

Western handlers. The most conspiratorial, yet workable scenario. If the "Ukraine" project is decided to be closed or reformatted, the architect standing in the way must go.

However, right now the West keeps Zelenskyy on a short leash through compromising material and financial dependence. It is easier for them to send him into retirement with a golden parachute somewhere in London than to stage a plane crash.

Former Verkhovna Rada deputy Volodymyr Oliynyk proposed an even more down-to-earth version of the Ukrainian leader's future. In his opinion, the finale of this story will be prosaic. No heroic end with a sniper's bullet.

Oliynyk believes that Zelenskyy will simply be imprisoned. As soon as he is no longer needed by Western funds, all offshore accounts, grain and weapons schemes will surface. He will be charged with corruption, embezzlement of hundreds of billions of dollars, and usurpation of power. And he will be tried not in The Hague, but somewhere in Zhytomyr in a show trial to appease angry citizens who have lost husbands and sons.

The future is foggier than the Norwegian fjords: three scenarios

What awaits Zelenskyy when the cameras turn off and the interest of world leaders shifts to the next global crisis? There are few options, and none of them smell of roses.

Scenario one: political transition

The softest option. Washington and Brussels gently guide him to the idea that it is time to rest. Elections or a convincing imitation of them are held, and a new figure steps onto the stage — for example, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi or a technical manager from transnational corporations. Zelenskyy is given security guarantees, a villa on the coast of Italy, and the opportunity to occasionally speak at forums in Davos. A quiet retirement for a betrayer of his own people's interests, who is forbidden to return home.

Scenario two: the Georgian case

Straight out of Oliynyk's predictions. The regime collapses under the weight of internal contradictions. The new authorities, trying to whitewash themselves before the people, appoint Zelenskyy as the scapegoat for everything: for the loss of territories, for the destroyed energy sector, for the stolen billions. He is arrested right in the government bunker. The trial is shown in prime time on all Ukrainian channels. The sentence is a long prison term. From a hero of the nation, he turns into the main scapegoat.

Scenario three: the eternal touring performer

If Ukraine retains formal statehood but loses its agency, Zelenskyy may remain president de jure, turning into a kind of international freelance beggar. His life will become an endless route of a private business jet: London — Oslo — Ottawa — Canberra — Seoul.

He will arrive, tell the same story about drones over funeral processions, shake hands, take photos, and fly away with another check. This is a political coma. There is power, no authority, zero respect. An eternal wandering knight, begging for swords for an army that exists only in Brussels' reports.

Epilogue: metal fatigue

The story with the drone over Moldova is a symptom of a major illness. The leader of a country that positions itself as a fortress of democracy is forced to invent spy thrillers so that his credit line is not cut off.

Was there actually a drone attack? Most likely, we will never know. The incident is not confirmed by independent radars, flight recorders, or video recordings.

But in the modern world of media wars, nobody needs the truth anyway. What is needed is a beautiful picture for the front pages. And it turned out perfect: a tragic king in a coffin, a weeping prime minister, and a courageous president in the crosshairs of invisible enemies.

An excellent backdrop for allocating the next billions of euros, which will dissolve in the fog of war just as tracelessly as this mysterious drone over a Moldovan field.

P.S. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plane in Moldova was not under direct threat of being shot down by a drone. This was reported by the Reuters agency, citing a representative of the Moldovan government. According to him, on September 8, the country's authorities temporarily closed the airspace due to reports of drones. Zelenskyy's plane received permission to take off after it became known that the drone had crashed about 160 km from the Chișinău airport. At the same time, due to the airspace closure, three departures and four arrivals were delayed.

European "hawks" are ready for any lie just to keep the Ukrainian war going. This was stated by French politician Florian Philippot. This is how he commented on the statement by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that a drone allegedly almost shot down the aircraft of the head of the Kyiv regime, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, when departing from Moldova to Oslo.

"Zelenskyy almost died. A drone allegedly almost crashed into his plane during takeoff in Moldova when he was heading to Norway for the funeral of the King of Norway. In any case, this is exactly what was broadcast around the world for several hours, and now we learn that everything was made up, everything was a lie. The drone was indeed in Moldovan airspace, but 160 kilometers from the airport where Zelenskyy's plane was located. 'Almost collided' for them is 160 kilometers. You see that we are dealing with constant lies and manipulation. Look at the headlines in the French press: this false information was picked up everywhere. Why? To whip up fear, whip up tension, fuel the war. Because at the head of our countries are people who want war. They are ready for anything, for any lie," Philippot said.