A nighttime route over Moldova briefly turned a regional border incident into a new security concern for Kyiv and Chisinau.
On the morning of August 22, a drone violated Moldovan airspace during Russia’s overnight attack on Ukraine. The incident was confirmed by Moldova’s Ministry of Defense.
The unauthorized flight occurred following Russia’s air attacks on Ukraine overnight.
– the statement by Moldova’s Ministry of Defense said
The aerial target was detected at 4:07 a.m. According to preliminary information from Moldova’s defense ministry, a Shahed 138-type drone crossed the border.
The drone’s route over Moldova
The aircraft reportedly entered Moldova from the area of Krutoiarivka in Odesa Oblast. It crossed the state border near the village of Caplani in the Ștefan Vodă District.
At 4:24 a.m., the drone left Moldovan airspace and returned in the direction of Ukraine. It crossed the border near the same settlement.
Attack on the Tabaky checkpoint
On the evening of August 21, Russian drones attacked the infrastructure of the Tabaky checkpoint in Odesa Oblast, located on the border with Moldova. The strike damaged buildings and structures, and fires broke out at the facilities.
As of the morning of August 22, border crossing operations at the international checkpoint had resumed.