Moldova briefly closed its airspace overnight following a drone incursion, its Defence Ministry announced on Saturday.
The drones entered the country illegally, creating a security threat, prompting Moldova to shut its airspace for about an hour and ten minutes between 22:43 and 23:53.
Neither of the unidentified drones, identified as Gerbera-type, were detected by Moldovan radar systems, officials said. Ukrainian border authorities confirmed their incursion.
No debris or objects posing a danger to residents were found, and the drones later left Moldova’s airspace, heading deep into Ukrainian territory.
Two commercial flights from Paris and Barcelona to Chisinau were diverted to Romania, while one plane preparing to take off from Chisinau was temporarily grounded.
Describing these actions as “illegal and dangerous,” Moldova’s Defence Ministry strongly condemned the drone incident, calling it a “hostile act of intimidation and destabilisation.”
On Tuesday, six drones violated Moldova’s airspace, one of which reportedly crashed in the country.
Following the drone incident earlier in the week, Moldova, which borders NATO member Romania, summoned the Russian ambassador on Wednesday.
