Moldova to build drone shelters near Ukrainian border amid escalating Russian attacks

Moldova plans to build protective shelters at border crossings with Ukraine where border guards and people in nearby areas can take cover during drone incursions, Moldovan Interior Minister Daniella Misail-Nichitin said on Oct. 7.

The announcement followed an increase in drones violating Moldovan airspace in recent weeks.

The protective structures would provide a place of refuge in the event of incoming drone strikes, and will be placed at checkpoints along the country's border with Ukraine, Misail-Nichitin told Moldovan media outlet NewsMaker.

In addition to the new structures, some Moldovan border guards currently stationed on the Ukrainian side of the border, at "Kryva" and "Palanka" stations, will be moved to the Moldovan side, she said.

Ukrainian officials are also in talks with neighboring countries about restructuring border operations to improve security and make border crossing easier as drone incursions increase, Heorhiiy Tykhyi, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said on Oct. 7.

Drones have crashed into Moldovan territory throughout Russia's full-scale war, with multiple incidents occurring in the past two weeks.

A projectile fired during a Russian attack on Ukraine on Oct. 5 ricocheted and struck a passenger bus and a border control booth at the Palanca-Maiaky-Udobne crossing, lightly injuring a border guard, Moldova's Border Police said.

"The security environment around Moldova has become more difficult," Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said during a press conference in Brussels on Oct. 5. "Russian drones and missiles pose a serious risk to our population and infrastructure."

During another Russian overnight attack against Ukraine on Oct. 3, five Russian air attack weapons, including Banderol missiles and drones, violated Moldova's airspace and exploded on the country's territory, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.

Sandu condemned the attacks in a post on social media on Oct. 3.

"(Russia's) war is dangerously reaching Moldova," she said, adding that "Moscow is putting lives at risk across Europe and must be stopped."

Drones also invaded Moldova's airspace three separate times on Sept. 30, as Russia launched a day-long attack against Ukraine overnight and into the following afternoon.