Russian drone violates Moldovan airspace during mass aerial barrage on Ukraine

The National Army Air Operations Service reported that local radar systems detected the drone at 11:41 p.m. on August 10 as it crossed from the Ukrainian border village of Stepanivka in Odesa Oblast and flew over the Moldovan village of Priozerne in the Slobozia district.

The drone exited Moldovan airspace a minute later and returned to Ukraine north of Stepanivka, with the Ministry of Defense noting the unmanned aerial vehicle’s characteristics were similar to a jet-powered Geran-3 UAV.

Concurrently, Ukrainian Telegram channels monitored the movement of a Russian drone flying along the Moldovan border.

Moldova drone incidents

A suspected combat drone with missile-like characteristics exploded near the village of Crocmaz in Moldova’s Ștefan Vodă district on Aug. 9, damaging several private properties.

Police received a report of the explosion during the day and found fragments of an attack drone at the scene.

Investigators determined that the aircraft exploded at an altitude of about 2.5 meters, or 8 feet, after colliding with a tree in a forest belt. No one was injured, but drone fragments were scattered across a large area and damaged several properties in Crocmaz.

Authorities said this was the first incident involving such an aircraft on Moldovan territory.

Crocmaz lies near Moldova’s border with Ukraine’s Odesa Oblast, which came under a large-scale Russian attack on Aug. 9. Odesa Oblast authorities reported 14 people injured in the attack, as well as damage to homes and energy infrastructure. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia used several types of weapons against the region, including Banderol loitering munitions.

Fragments of Russian Geran drones have previously been found in Moldova.