Moldova says five Russian weapons crossed its airspace and exploded

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Oct. 3 that five Russian air-attack weapons, including drones and Banderol missiles, had entered Moldova’s airspace and exploded on its territory during Russia’s latest overnight attack on Ukraine. No casualties or damage were reported, according to The Kyiv Independent.¹

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Reports from four districts

According to The Kyiv Independent, Moldova’s Defense Ministry detected multiple unmanned aircraft in the vicinity of Anenii Noi, Stefan Voda, Tudora and Causeni. The ministry also reported explosions near several communities, including Crocmaz, Delacau, Puhaceni, Bozieni, Hincesti, Dubovca and Constantinovca. Police and army teams were sent to examine the reported incidents.¹

TASS reported separately that Moldova’s Foreign Ministry said five drones and missiles traversed Moldovan airspace before detonating close to settlements across four districts. Moldova held Russia responsible for the incident, the Russian news agency reported.²

The available accounts do not independently establish the origin, flight paths or precise impact sites of the reported weapons. The claims that five Russian weapons crossed Moldovan airspace and exploded, and that there were no casualties or damage, remain based on the reporting and official statements cited by The Kyiv Independent.¹

Sandu’s response

Sandu said the reported episode showed that the effects of the war were extending into Moldova. “(Russia's) war is dangerously reaching Moldova,” she said. She also accused Moscow of endangering people elsewhere in Europe.¹

The wider overnight attack

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia deployed 157 Shahed and Gerbera drones, among them jet-propelled Shaheds, along with Parodiya drones used as decoys. The Kyiv Independent said strikes by Russia throughout Ukraine during the previous day left at least eight civilians dead and 81 wounded.¹

Earlier reported incursions

The Oct. 3 reports followed several earlier incidents described by The Kyiv Independent. The outlet reported three entries into Moldovan airspace by drones on Sept. 30 and said drones believed to be Russian came down in Romania and Moldova during the night of Sept. 24. It further said NATO aircraft brought down a drone thought to be Russian above Romania, close to the Moldovan frontier, on Aug. 16.¹

The Kyiv Independent reported that on Aug. 17, a Russian S-8000 Banderol cruise missile crossed into Moldovan airspace and fell roughly three kilometres from Talmaz. The outlet said Russian attacks on Ukraine have repeatedly resulted in reported incursions into Moldovan airspace and explosions on Moldovan territory.¹

Russia seeks a joint inquiry

Russian ambassador Oleg Ozerov proposed a joint investigation with Moldova into incidents involving drone overflights, saying a legal framework was available. “The goal is to investigate these incidents calmly, without hysteria,” he said, adding: “We are ready to do so.”²

Ozerov disputed Moldova’s handling of the incidents. According to TASS, he said Moldova blamed Russia for its problems without presenting evidence and was following the European Union’s lead. He also claimed that Moldovan authorities had avoided investigating the reported episodes, an assertion at odds with The Kyiv Independent’s report that police and army teams were dispatched after the latest incident.¹²