Russian drones violate Moldovan airspace during overnight attack on Ukraine
During a Russian attack on Ukraine on the night and morning of 23–24 September, at least four drones entered Moldovan airspace and at least one exploded in the north of the country. Police recovered wreckage in Florești district preliminarily identified as a Russian "Gerbera" drone. Northern Moldovan airspace was temporarily closed and reopened at 07:46. No casualties were reported in Moldova.
Key points
- At least four drones violated Moldovan airspace on the morning of 24 September during a Russian attack on Ukraine.
- The drones entered from Ukraine's Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi and, according to some reports, Odesa oblasts.
- Police found drone wreckage in a field next to a farm in Florești district; the drone is preliminarily identified as a Russian "Gerbera" model equipped with a built-in camera — the first such case on Moldovan territory.
- At around 07:45, residents of Vadul-Rașcov (Șoldănești district) reported explosion-like sounds; preliminary information indicated they may have come from Camenca on the left bank of the Dniester.
- Northern Moldovan airspace was temporarily closed and reopened at 07:46; no casualties were reported in Moldova.
- Romania scrambled fighter jets and a drone crashed in Suceava County; Poland also raised military aircraft in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
- Overnight Russian strikes on Kyiv killed two people and wounded eight; Ukrainian air defence reported neutralising four Zircons, three ballistic missiles, one Banderol and 219 drones from the evening of 23 September.
Why it matters
The incident is a direct spillover of Russia's war on Ukraine into a neighbouring state's airspace and the first recorded recovery of a Russian "Gerbera" drone on Moldovan territory. President Maia Sandu framed the events as a threat to all of Europe. Romania scrambled fighter jets and a drone crashed in its Suceava County, while Poland also raised military aircraft, underscoring the regional security dimension. According to Sandu, 39 Moldovan airspace violations have been recorded since the start of 2026, up from 17 in 2025.
What happened
During the Russian attack on Ukraine overnight on 23–24 September, Moldovan border patrols and residents tracked at least four drones crossing into Moldovan airspace. A first object was detected at 05:21 flying from the direction of Velyka Kishnytsia (Vinnytsia Oblast) toward Vasilkău in Soroca district before leaving Moldovan airspace. At 06:14 a drone crossed from Kelmentsi (Chernivtsi Oblast) toward Larga in Briceni district and returned to Ukrainian airspace about two minutes later. Around 06:35 another object entered from the Prydnistrovskyi direction of Vinnytsia Oblast toward Volovăț in Soroca district, and around 06:58 a drone flew from Kodima (Vinnytsia Oblast) toward the Transnistrian region before disappearing from monitoring systems at 07:11 near Kunicha, Camenca. Moldova temporarily closed the airspace over the north of the country and reopened it at 07:46. Around 07:45 residents of Vadul-Rașcov in Șoldănești district reported sounds resembling explosions, preliminarily attributed to Camenca on the left bank of the Dniester. Police also located an explosion site in a field adjacent to a farm in Florești district and recovered drone wreckage there. Experts preliminarily determined the drone had characteristics of the Russian "Gerbera" model, was equipped with a built-in camera, and had struck a tree before falling to the ground and exploding — the first such drone found on Moldovan territory. No casualties were reported in Moldova.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The available sources are all Ukrainian and frame the airspace violations explicitly as a consequence of Russian attacks on Ukraine. Coverage emphasises detailed timelines of border crossings and the identification of the downed drone as a Russian "Gerbera", and contextualises the incident within the broader overnight Russian attack, including a ballistic strike on Kyiv that killed two and wounded eight, and Ukrainian air-defence intercepts of four Zircons, three ballistic missiles, one Banderol and 219 drones. Reporting also highlights the responses of neighbouring NATO and EU states — Romania scrambling fighter jets and a drone crashing in Suceava County, and Poland raising military aircraft — to underline the regional security dimension.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on whether drones entered Moldovan airspace from Odesa Oblast as well as from Vinnytsia and Chernivtsi oblasts: article 33817 lists only Vinnytsia and Chernivtsi, while other reporting and Moldovan authorities include Odesa among the origins. Sources also disagree on how many drones exploded on Moldovan territory: President Maia Sandu stated at least one exploded in the north, while one source reports two drones exploded on Moldovan territory.
Background
President Maia Sandu said 39 cases of Moldovan airspace violations have been recorded since the start of 2026, compared with 17 in the whole of 2025, indicating a rising trend. Earlier this month, on 8 September, a drone was recorded in Moldova and later reported to have nearly attacked President Zelensky's aircraft on Moldovan territory, and on 18 September a loud explosion near Chișinău was followed by the discovery of drone wreckage. Reporting indicates that Moldovan military capabilities are currently limited to man-portable air-defence systems, anti-aircraft machine guns and electronic-warfare means, whose use is mainly limited to protecting individual critical-infrastructure facilities.