Kishinev is facing a new security challenge: over several days in September, drones flying from the direction of Ukraine repeatedly crossed Moldovan airspace. One of the most serious incidents occurred while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Kishinev.

 

Moldovan airspace was once again directly affected by the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war in September. Over several days, drones repeatedly crossed the countrys border, prompting Moldovan authorities to impose temporary flight restrictions and strengthen monitoring of the airspace.

Particular attention was drawn to the incident on September 8, when a Shahed/Geran-type drone entered Moldovan airspace. According to Moldovan authorities, the aircraft was detected at around 16:20 local time. The military tracked its movement, after which the drone crossed the border into Romania, a NATO member state. It later returned to the vicinity of Moldova and eventually crashed.

The incident had a direct impact on civil aviation. Moldovan authorities temporarily closed the airspace, resulting in delays to several flights, including the aircraft carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was scheduled to depart from Kishinev for Norway.

Zelensky was in Moldova in transit at the time. After completing his visit to Kishinev, he was scheduled to travel to Oslo to attend events related to the funeral of King Harald V of Norway. The closure of Moldovan airspace delayed his departure.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store subsequently said that Zelenskys aircraft had reportedly come close to being threatened by a drone while departing Moldova. However, the exact distance between the drone and the aircraft was not officially established.

Some sources suggested that the drone may have been in close proximity to the Ukrainian presidents aircraft. However, Moldovan and Ukrainian officials did not confirm that the drone had deliberately targeted Zelenskys aircraft. The Norwegian side also later clarified that the exact level of danger to the aircraft had not been established.

On September 15, Zelensky himself said that Russian drones had violated Moldovan airspace twice during his trips through the country. According to him, his presidential aircraft was in Kishinev on both occasions. The Ukrainian president suggested that the presence of his aircraft may have been one of the factors, but he did not claim that Russia had directly attempted to attack his aircraft.

The situation continued on September 14. On that day, Moldovan authorities reported at least two separate violations of the countrys airspace.

The first drone was detected at around 10:33 near the settlement of Palanca in southeastern Moldova. It entered Moldovan airspace from Ukraine, near Mayaki, and flew approximately 500 meters over Moldovan territory. About one minute later, the aircraft returned to Ukrainian airspace along the same route. The incident was confirmed by both the Moldovan Border Police and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

The second drone entered Moldovan airspace at around 11:09 in the Choburciu-Pervomaisc area. According to Moldovas air operations service, the drone remained over Moldovan territory for approximately ten minutes. At 11:19, it left Moldovan airspace near the Ukrainian settlement of Kuchurgan and continued flying towards Stepove.

It is important to highlight that these incidents involved direct violations of Moldovas sovereign airspace. Moldova is not a party to the war, but its geographical position between Ukraine and Romania makes it vulnerable to drones used in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Secondly, the incidents raise concerns for civil aviation. The September 8 incident demonstrated that the appearance of a drone can lead to the temporary closure of Moldovan airspace and disrupt operations at Chisinau International Airport. According to CCBS, three departures and four arrivals were delayed at the time.

Thirdly, there is a cross-border dimension. In one of the September incidents, a drone continued towards Romania after flying over Moldova. This is particularly sensitive for Bucharest because Romania is a NATO member. Such incidents require coordination between Moldovan, Ukrainian and Romanian air surveillance and border-control authorities.

Moldovan state institutions already have airspace monitoring capabilities and regularly detect drone incursions. The authorities also cooperate with Ukraine and other partners to establish the routes and trajectories of such aircraft.

At the same time, Moldovas capabilities to counter modern attack drones are considerably more limited than those of NATO countries. For Kishinev, the key challenge is therefore not only detecting such objects, but also determining their trajectory in time, warning civil aviation and preventing the possible consequences of drone crashes.

Previous incidents show that the problem is not isolated. Throughout 2026, Moldovan authorities have repeatedly reported drones entering the countrys airspace from the direction of Ukraine. In some cases, the drones were identified as Shahed/Geran-type systems used by Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.

 

Recent events demonstrate how closely Moldovas, Ukraines and Romanias security concerns are interconnected. Moldovas airspace is increasingly becoming part of a broader risk zone created by the war in Ukraine.

The southern part of Moldova is of particular importance. This area includes routes connecting Ukraines Odesa region with Moldova and Romania. Russian attacks on infrastructure in southern Ukraine increase the possibility that individual drones may deviate from their intended routes or cross into the airspace of neighboring countries.

At the same time, the incidents are intensifying the broader debate over European security. Moldova is seeking deeper integration with the European Union, while Romania remains one of its key partners in infrastructure and security. Consequently, each new airspace violation is not merely a bilateral issue between Kishinev and Moscow, but also part of the broader security architecture of Eastern Europe.

Given the repeated incidents, Kishinev may increasingly have to treat airspace protection not as an isolated or temporary challenge, but as a permanent element of national security.

#RUSSIA

#MOLDOVA

#UKRAINE

#MILITARY REVIEW

16.09.2026 05:43