---
title: "Moldova Under Drone Fire: At Least Four UAVs Violated the Country's Airspace in the Morning of September 24"
description: "On the morning of September 24, at least four drones violated Moldovan airspace during a Russian attack on Odesa Oblast. The northern sky of the country was temporarily closed, and residents heard sounds resembling explosions."
date: 2026-09-24T06:10:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/moldova-drone-airspace-violation-24-september-2026-en
tags: [moldova, drones, airspace-violation, ukraine-war, transnistria, security, vinnytsia]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Moldova Under Drone Fire: At Least Four UAVs Violated the Country's Airspace in the Morning of September 24

![Unmanned aerial vehicle flying in the sky over Moldova during the airspace violation on September 24](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/24/moldova-drone-airspace-violation-24-september-2026/moldova-drone-airspace-violation-24-september-2026-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Over the morning of September 24, 2026, at least four UAVs violated Moldovan airspace, arriving from the Vinnytsia and Chernivtsi oblasts of Ukraine
- The airspace in the northern part of the country was temporarily closed from 05:21 to 07:46
- The police recorded two reports of sounds resembling explosions in Șoldănești and Florești districts
- In the past two weeks this is not the first such incident: violations or suspicious objects were also detected on September 12, 18, 19 and 20
- The Moldovan Ministry of Defense previously acknowledged its inability to record a combat drone that fell near Chișinău on September 18

On the morning of September 24, 2026, the airspace of the Republic of Moldova was subjected to a series of violations by unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the country's Ministry of Defense, within a few hours at least four drones crossed the state border, arriving predominantly from the Ukrainian side, specifically from Vinnytsia and Chernivtsi oblasts. The incidents coincided in time with a Russian strike operation on Odesa Oblast, indicating a probable link to UAVs deviating from their designated route. To ensure safety, civilian airspace in northern Moldova was temporarily closed from early morning and reopened only at 07:46.

### Chronology of the Violations: From the First Signals to the Closure of the Sky

The first object was detected at 05:21 — a border patrol spotted an unidentified flying vehicle moving from the village of Velyka Koshnitsa in Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine, toward the village of Vasile in Soroca District. The UAV soon left Moldovan airspace. In the latter half of the morning, between 06:14 and 06:16, another drone crossed the border from the Chernivtsi Oblast side toward Larga in Briceni District and returned to Ukrainian territory two minutes later. At 06:35, a third object entered Moldovan airspace heading toward Volovitsa in Soroca District, and at 06:45 residents of Florești District observed its flight along the route Gura Căinariului — Lunga — Bahrynești — Gura Cămeșei. The last recorded aircraft flew at 06:58 from the Kodyma side of Vinnytsia Oblast toward Sokoly in the Transnistrian region and disappeared from monitoring systems near the village of Kunych in Camenca District at 07:11.

### Explosion-Like Sounds and the Police Response

In parallel with the UAV flights, the Moldovan police received two reports of loud sounds resembling explosions. Around 07:45, a resident of the village of Vadul Răscov in Șoldănești District heard a sharp bang, which, according to preliminary data, may have originated from Camenca on the left bank of the Dniester. A second report came from the vicinity of the village of Cernița in Florești District. At the time of publication, no official confirmation of destruction or casualties had been received from the authorities; however, the incidents were placed under the control of law enforcement agencies.

### A Series of Incidents: Moldova in a "Drone Corridor"

The events of September 24 were not the first such episode in the past two weeks. On the night of September 20, residents of two districts of the country reported possible UAVs in the sky. On the morning of September 19, several unidentified drones violating the border were detected in the Ștefan Vodă area. The most alarming was the incident of September 18: around four in the morning, near the village of Colonica, bordering Chișinău, a powerful explosion was heard. The police inspected the surrounding areas; however, as the Moldovan Ministry of Defense acknowledged, the combat drone that fell near the capital, carrying explosives, could not be recorded due to its high speed and low flight altitude. Even earlier, on September 12, part of the country's airspace was closed due to a drone that flew in from the Ukrainian side, which led to the delay of several flights at Chișinău airport.

### Contradictory Data

The official reports of the Moldovan Ministry of Defense on the 06:35 incident contain a formulation stating that the object entered the airspace "from the Transnistrian side of Vinnytsia Oblast." This geographical reference raises questions: the Transnistrian region is not part of Vinnytsia Oblast of Ukraine, and Soroca District, which the UAV was heading toward, borders precisely the Ukrainian Vinnytsia Oblast, not Transnistria. Possibly, an editorial inaccuracy or a conflation of two different directions was made in the text. Moreover, although the department reports "at least four" drones, the chronology allows distinguishing up to five separate objects, creating a discrepancy in the exact number of violations. Regarding the September 18 incident, the Ministry of Defense acknowledges that it failed to record the fallen drone, while residents heard a powerful explosion — this leaves open the question of the exact circumstances of that event.

### Context: The Vulnerability of Moldovan Air Defense and Geopolitical Risks

Recurring airspace violations sharpen the debate over the readiness of the Moldovan armed forces to counter the drone threat. Experts and media, including the noi.md publication, previously pointed to a shortage of modern radar detection systems and air defense complexes in the country's air defense arsenal. Moldova, not being a NATO member and maintaining a neutral status, is forced to rely on its own limited resources and bilateral agreements. The frequency of incidents — more than five in two weeks — indicates that the country's border regions have in fact found themselves in a risk zone due to ongoing hostilities in neighboring Ukraine. The Chișinău authorities have not yet announced large-scale changes to the air security system; however, each new incident increases public pressure on the government to strengthen protection.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Drones flew into Moldova several times during the Russian attack on Ukraine](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/moldovu-kilka-raziv-zalitali-droni-pid-chas-1790229590.html) - Подтверждает факт нескольких нарушений воздушного пространства Молдовы дронами во время атаки на Одесскую область, совпадает по хронологии с основным текстом.
- [Radar, drones and air defense: what is missing to protect Moldovan airspace](https://noi.md/ru/obshhestvo/radar-drony-i-pvo-chego-ne-hvataet-dlya-zashhity-vozdushnogo-prostranstva-moldovy) - Даёт контекст по дефициту средств ПВО и радиолокации в Молдове, подтверждает системный характер проблемы.
- [Two drones flew over Moldova twice in the morning, arriving from the Ukrainian side](https://newsmaker.md/ru/nad-moldovoi-dvajdy-za-utro-proleteli-bespilotniki-priletevshie-so-storo-ukrainy) - Указывает на два пролёта за утро, что может не полностью совпадать с цифрой «не менее четырёх» из сводки Минобороны. Возможно, источник фиксирует только крупные пересечения границы.
- [Two drones violated the airspace of the Republic of Moldova this morning in the ... area](https://www.jurnaltv.md/news/0c52ba564bcfabbb/dva-bespilotnika-narushili-vozdushnoe-prostranstvo-respubliki-moldova-segodnya-utrom-v-rayone-palanki-i-choburchiu.html) - Упоминает два БПЛА в конкретных районах (Паланка, Чобурчиу), что частично пересекается с маршрутами из основного текста, но не охватывает все четыре инцидента.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How many drones violated Moldovan airspace on September 24?
**A:** The Moldovan Ministry of Defense reported "at least four" drones. The chronology of the recorded objects allows distinguishing up to five separate incidents between 05:21 and 07:11.

### Q: Were there any casualties or destruction?
**A:** At the time of publication, no official reports of casualties or destruction had been received. The police recorded two reports of sounds resembling explosions in Șoldănești and Florești districts, however their source was not conclusively established.

### Q: Was the airspace over Moldova closed?
**A:** Yes, the airspace in the northern part of the country was temporarily closed for safety reasons and reopened at 07:46.

### Q: Is this the first such incident in recent times?
**A:** No. In the two weeks before September 24, similar events were recorded: September 12 (closure of part of the sky, flight delays), September 18 (explosion near Chișinău), September 19 (drones in the Ștefan Vodă area) and September 20 (reports of UAVs in two districts).

### Q: Why are drones flying into Moldova?
**A:** According to available data, the incidents coincide in time with a Russian strike operation on Odesa Oblast of Ukraine. Presumably, some UAVs deviate from their designated route and cross the Moldovan border. There is no official confirmation of this version from Kyiv or Chișinău in the provided materials.