New border overflights: A Shahed military drone spotted over the Republic of Moldova
Moldovan airspace was again invaded by a drone on the night of March 18, near the Palanca border crossing. This marks the second consecutive day of such incidents.
According to the General Inspectorate of the Border Police, a Shahed drone was visually observed at around 1:46 AM as it crossed the country’s airspace and moved toward the city of Belgorod-Dnestrovsk in Ukraine.
Later, between 2:14 AM and 2:25 AM, the same drone reappeared over the same area before retreating.
Authorities have specified that it was indeed the same aircraft in both instances. The representatives of the Border Police mentioned, “The aircraft was not detected by the Air Operations Service of the National Army, which confirmed that it was not visible on radar.”
Official reports indicate that the drone was eventually destroyed outside the Republic of Moldova's territory. Authorities stated that the situation was continuously monitored, with no incidents reported on the ground, ensuring that citizens' safety was not compromised.
This incident follows a separate occurrence on March 17, when fragments of a drone were found in the village of Tudora, located in the Ștefan Vodă district, approximately 500 meters from the border with Ukraine.
According to officials, the identified drone was a Gheran-2, the Russian equivalent of the Shahed model, which was loaded with about 50 kilograms of explosives and fragmentation elements. The area was secured, and the object was detonated in a controlled manner by bomb disposal experts, causing no casualties or damage.
Authorities have characterised this incident as a serious violation of the airspace and sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova.
