Cross-Border Drone Incidents Reported in Moldova, Ukraine

The second drone was first detected at 15:26 near Vasilkovo in Moldova’s Soroca District by military radar and visually identified by a border-police patrol. It later disappeared from radar near Baksany before reappearing at 16:03 near Cucconeshii Noi in Edineț District.
Moldova reopened the central airspace zone at 16:20 and the northern zone at 16:30 after the drone-related restrictions were imposed.
The aircraft flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to Chișinău was placed in a holding pattern near Bacău, Romania, while awaiting authorization to enter Moldovan airspace.
The incidents occurred amid a broader pattern of drone activity near Ukraine’s western borders. Ukraine’s foreign minister said a Russian drone struck near Yahodyn, less than a mile from Poland, temporarily closing the border crossing; Ukrainian Railways also reported a drone attack on a passenger-train locomotive in Volyn, about 1.2 miles from the Polish border, with no injuries reported.
Moldova's airspace was breached twice in a single day as drones crossed from Ukraine, prompting emergency closures of flight routes and forcing aircraft to circle over neighboring countries. Mezha.net reported that one drone penetrated roughly 500 meters into Moldovan territory near Palanka before turning back, while a second unmanned aircraft was tracked moving erratically across the northern region before vanishing from radar near EdineÈ›.
The incidents disrupted commercial flights to and from Chișinău, with planes from Sharm el-Sheikh held in a holding pattern over Romania and departures to Bucharest, Istanbul, and Alicante delayed or canceled. Moldpres.md confirmed that authorities reopened central airspace at 16:20 and northern airspace at 16:30 after imposing temporary restrictions, though officials warned passengers to expect continued schedule disruptions.
Military radar first detected the second drone at 15:26 near Vasilkovo in Soroca District. Mezha.net reported that border-police officers visually confirmed the aircraft before it disappeared from radar near Baksany at roughly 15:50. The drone reappeared on screen at 16:03 near Cucconeshii Noi in EdineÈ› District, suggesting it may have flown at low altitude to evade detection.
The temporary airspace closure forced several aircraft into holding patterns over Romanian territory. An incoming flight from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh to Chișinău circled near Bacău, Romania, awaiting clearance to proceed. Todaypress.tv noted that authorities lifted restrictions in phases: central airspace reopened first at 16:20, followed by the northern zone at 16:30, allowing delayed flights to resume their journeys.
The Moldova incidents fit into a broader pattern of drone activity near Ukraine's western borders. NBC News reported that a Russian drone struck near the town of Yahodyn, less than a mile from Poland, forcing a temporary closure of the border crossing. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the attack as "barbaric."
In a separate assault, Ukrainian Railways confirmed that Russian drones attacked a passenger-train locomotive in Volyn, approximately 1.2 miles from the Polish border. No injuries were reported in the train strike. These coordinated attacks suggest Russia is deliberately targeting areas near NATO territory to maximize disruption and pressure.
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