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4 Russian drones violate Moldovan airspace during overnight attack against Ukraine

• 2 min read
4 Russian drones violate Moldovan airspace during overnight attack against Ukraine
Giant flags of Moldova and the EU are seen on the Government buildings in Chisinau, Sept. 26, 2025. (Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images)

Yet another series of Russian drone incursions into Moldova's airspace was recorded during the latest overnight attack against Ukraine, Moldova's Defense Ministry reported on Oct. 16.

Between 11:02 p.m. on Oct. 15 and 3:46 a.m. local time on Oct. 16, Moldova's Defense Ministry said three Russian drones crossed into the country's territory before returning to Ukraine's airspace.

A fourth drone entered at 5:59 a.m. and reentered again at 6:09 a.m. before turning back to Ukraine.

The incidents underscore the growing security risks posed to Moldova and the region by Russia's war against neighboring Ukraine.

Russian aerial incursions into Moldovan territory during attacks against Ukraine are becoming alarmingly routine, with five Russian drones and missiles exploding on Moldova's territory on Oct. 3 alone.

Chisinau has repeatedly raised the alarm about these airspace violations, with Moldovan President Maia Sandu declaring that Russia's war against Ukraine is "dangerously reaching Moldova."

Moldova announced plans on Oct. 7 to build shelters at border crossings to protect border guards and people nearby in response to growing incursions.

The announcement came after the Moldovan Border Police reported on Oct. 5 that a projectile fired during a Russian attack against Ukraine ricocheted and struck a passenger bus and a border control booth at the Palanca-Maiaky-Udobne crossing, lightly injuring a border guard.

Russia also struck border crossings between Ukraine and nearby Romania in early September.

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Kate Tsurkan

Culture Reporter

Kate Tsurkan is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent who writes mostly about culture-related topics. Her newsletter Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan, which focuses specifically on Ukrainian culture, is published weekly by the Kyiv Independent and is partially supported by a generous grant from the Nadia Sophie Seiler Fund. Kate co-translated Oleh Sentsov’s “Diary of a Hunger Striker,” Myroslav Laiuk’s “Bakhmut,” Andriy Lyubka’s “War from the Rear,” and Khrystia Vengryniuk’s “Long Eyes,” among other books. Some of her previous writing and translations have appeared in the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Harpers, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere. She is the co-founder of Apofenie Magazine and, in addition to Ukrainian and Russian, also knows French.

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