A Russian drone crossed the border and exploded on Moldovan territory on Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Defence in Chișinău announced. The incident occurred during a massive Russian attack on Ukrainian infrastructure.
According to RMF24 — fakty, citing the defence ministry, the first incident took place at approximately 04:43 Polish time. The unmanned aircraft fell and exploded on Moldovan soil. Police and military units were immediately dispatched to the scene to secure the area. Experts are to examine the drone debris and establish the exact circumstances of the incident.
Second drone on the same day
Just a few hours later, at 09:26 Polish time, monitoring systems registered the flight of another unmanned aerial vehicle. The object passed the town of Lunga in the Dubăsari region before disappearing from radar near Dondușeni, right by the Ukrainian border.
Due to the threat, Moldovan authorities decided to temporarily close airspace in the northern and central parts of the country. Information about the violation was published on the Ministry of Defence’s official social media profile.
Dozens of violations since the start of the war
The Moldovan Ministry of Defence stressed that since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the airspace of this neutral state has been violated 81 times. Russian missiles and drones regularly fly over Moldovan territory during attacks aimed at Ukrainian infrastructure.
The figures for this year are particularly concerning. By 24 September 2024, 44 such incidents had already been recorded – more than half of all incidents from the last two and a half years.
Diplomatic reactions
Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly summoned Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov over airspace violations. The diplomat did not rule out that some drones flying over Moldova may indeed originate from Russia’s arsenal, whilst simultaneously insisting that the attacks target Ukraine exclusively, not neutral Moldova.
This argument fails to convince authorities in Chișinău. Every drone falling on the country’s territory poses a threat to civilians and violates the sovereignty of this small state neighbouring Ukraine and Romania.
Moldova, though officially neutral, has become an indirect participant in the conflict. The frequency of airspace violations is increasing, and each such incident could potentially lead to civilian casualties.