Russian drones violated Moldovan airspace during the night of 29 November, forcing authorities to close the country's airspace and disrupting three flights at Chisinau airport, reports Newsmaker.
The airport suspended operations for 1 hour and 10 minutes, affecting flights to and from the Moldovan capital. The Civil Aviation Authority reported that a Barcelona-Chisinau flight had to land in Bacău, Romania. A Paris-Chisinau flight was delayed until restrictions were lifted, and a departure from Chisinau to Sharm el-Sheikh was also postponed.
"Landings and takeoffs gradually resumed after 23:32, but the northern part of the airspace remained partially closed until it was confirmed that the drones had finally left Moldova's territory," the Ministry of Internal Affairs detailed.
The ministry added that the airport returned to normal operations on 29 November. "Authorities will continue to monitor the situation, with services at maximum readiness to ensure citizens' safety. Moldova strongly condemns these illegal and dangerous actions that endangered the safety of civilian flights and people's lives. Such violations are hostile actions aimed at intimidation and destabilization, characteristic of Russia's military aggression," the Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.
Two Russian drones passed through Moldovan airspace from those used to attack Ukraine during the night of 29 November, authorities confirmed. A similar incident occurred on 25 November, when six UAVs were detected flying over Moldova, with one landing on a building roof in a rural area. That drone also penetrated deep into Romanian territory, more than 100 km from the Ukrainian border.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu condemned Russia's night attack on Ukraine, noting it does not indicate the Kremlin's readiness to end the war. "Heading to kill civilians, Russian drones again violated Moldova's airspace and forced us to make the decision to temporarily close it. We condemn these attacks and express support for Ukraine," Sandu wrote on Twitter.
Sandu emphasized that Russia's attack on Ukraine is "not the language of diplomacy and not the language of a country that claims to be conducting peace negotiations."
