A five-minute flight path near the border has raised fresh questions about regional security and the growing risks posed by Russia’s attacks.
On the evening of August 26, a drone briefly entered Moldova’s airspace during another Russian air attack on Ukraine. The incident was confirmed by Moldova’s Ministry of Defense.
The unauthorized flight over our country’s airspace occurred following Russia’s air attacks on Ukraine today.
the Moldovan Ministry of Defense said
The National Army’s Air Operations Service detected the aircraft at 5:38 p.m. The drone crossed the border near the settlement of Palanca, arriving from Ukrainian territory.
At 5:43 p.m., five minutes after it was detected, the object left Moldovan airspace near the village of Tudora. It returned in the direction of Ukraine, crossing the border near the village of Hradynytsi in Odesa Oblast.
Russian strikes on border infrastructure
Russian attacks in the south of Odesa Oblast have repeatedly affected the operation of infrastructure near the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. On the night of August 25, the international checkpoint “Vynohradivka–Vulcănești” was damaged, temporarily suspending traffic through it.
On the night of August 21, a Russian strike also damaged the infrastructure of the Tabaky checkpoint on the border with Moldova. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that such attacks are intended to destabilize the region and disrupt transport links between Ukraine and Moldova.