Moldova briefly shut its airspace overnight after two unidentified drones crossed its territory, the defence ministry said Saturday. The one-hour closure, from 22:43 to 23:53 local time, was triggered when the aircraft flew illegally over Moldovan territory, posing what officials described as a “direct threat to aviation safety.”
The Gerbera-type drones were not detected by Moldovan radar but were later confirmed by Ukrainian border authorities, the ministry added. Both devices left Moldovan airspace without leaving debris or causing damage.
Two passenger flights bound for Chișinău from Paris and Barcelona were diverted to Romania during the shutdown, while another aircraft scheduled to depart the Moldovan capital was temporarily grounded.
Moldova, which borders Ukraine and NATO member Romania, has recorded several drone incidents since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this week, it summoned Russia’s ambassador after a drone crashed on its territory. Officials called the repeated violations “hostile acts of intimidation and destabilisation.”
