Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Saturday that Russian drones breached the country’s air space in the third such incident in the past three days. The drones briefly entered Moldova’s air space during Russia’s overnight attack on Ukraine and killed three civilians and injured dozens.
"On their way to kill civilians, Russian drones again violated Moldovan airspace, forcing its temporary closure. We condemn these attacks and stand with Ukraine," Maia Sandu wrote on X on November 29.
Moldova’s interior ministry said two drones, identified as Russian, crossed into Moldovan airspace and later re-entered Ukrainian territory on November 28. The airspace breach prompted Moldova to close its airspace for more than an hour. The ministry said the restrictions on flights were lifted after both drones returned to Ukrainian territory. It added that Russia’s airspace violations amounted to "hostile actions of intimidation and destabilization" against Moldova.
This was the third Russian violation of Moldova’s air space in the past nine days. Similar incidents occurred on November 20 and November 25 when Moldova’s Foreign Ministry described the violation as “unacceptable” and issued a warning to the Russian ambassador. After summoning Russian envoy Oleg Ozerov, to Chisinau, in a symbolic gesture, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry displayed a downed Russian drone in front of the ministry’s headquarters.
The latest airspace breach took place during Russia’s large-scale, 10-hour drone attack against Ukraine that killed at least three civilians in capital and across other regions.
