On the morning of 24 September, four incidents of drones violating Moldova’s airspace were recorded against the backdrop of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Due to the threat, the airspace over the north of the country was temporarily closed. In neighbouring Romania, Spanish F-18 fighter jets were scrambled to monitor aerial targets.
- Moldova has reported four airspace violations.
- The airspace over the north of the country was temporarily closed.
- Two Spanish F-18s were scrambled in Romania.
- Later, a single drone crashed in the Romanian county of Suceava.
Drones over Moldova: what the military have reported
Pros. information According to News.ro, citing the Moldovan Ministry of Defence, the drones crossed the border from Ukraine.
The border patrol spotted the first object at 05:21 in the direction of the village of Vasilkeu in the Sorotsky district. It subsequently left the country’s territory. Another drone entered Ukrainian airspace at 06:14, heading towards the village of Larga in the Briceni district, and returned to Ukrainian airspace two minutes later. Further violations were recorded at 06:35 and 06:58. One of the drones was also spotted by residents of the Florești district.
For safety reasons, the authorities have temporarily closed the airspace over northern Moldova. It was opened at 07:46.
Spanish F-18s took off from an airbase in Romania
On the night of 24 September, Romanian radars detected a group of aerial targets over Ukrainian territory, north of the settlement of Kiliya-Veke, near the border. To monitor the situation, aircraft took off from the 57th «Mihail Kogălniceanu» Air Base two F-18s of the Spanish Air and Space Force, which carry out enhanced air patrol duties.
At 04:41, residents of the northern part of the county Tulcha An RO-Alert warning was issued. The alert ended at 05:44. During this incident, the Romanian Ministry of Defence did not report any breaches of the country’s airspace.
A single drone crashed in Suceava County
Later that same morning, the Romanian military recorded another drone, which crossed the border in the north of Botoșani County. Two Romanian F-16s were scrambled from Borcha Air Base to monitor it.
According to the Romanian Ministry of Defence, the aircraft remained in the country’s airspace for approximately four minutes, before crashing near the town of Solca in Suceava County. There were no casualties or material damage.
The emergency services cordoned off the crash site and found a small drone. No fire broke out. Investigations into the circumstances of the incident are continuing.
