Moscow targets crossings on Moldovan, Romanian, and Polish borders to test Western resolve
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The aftermath of the Russian strike on Orlivka border crossing overnight on Sept. 1 (Photo: Izmail district administration)
Russian forces are intensifying attacks on Ukraine's western border checkpoints to intimidate NATO, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on Oct. 5.
Military analysts highlighted that Russian forces have markedly expanded drone and missile operations targeting checkpoints along Ukraine's western borders over recent weeks.
Concurrently, ISW pointed out that Russian UAVs and missiles are increasingly breaching the sovereign airspace of these frontier states. Moldovan airspace, for instance, was violated at least 20 times between February 2022 and July 2026, and an additional 10 times since August 2026 alone. Most recently, on Oct. 3, Russian missiles and strike drones crashed directly onto Moldovan territory.
"Russia likely conducts these strikes and incursions to intimidate NATO, pressure the Alliance into curtailing its support for Ukraine, and normalize the operational practice of airspace violations through sheer frequency," the ISW analysts concluded.
Recent Border Incidents and Checkpoint Bombardments
Palanca checkpoint incident: On the morning of Oct. 5, a Russian munition impacted adjacent to the Palanca-Mayaky-Udobne border crossing on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. The blast ricocheted into a passenger bus parked near the security barrier, wounding a Ukrainian border guard.
Orlivka ferry terminal strike: Overnight into Sept. 1, Russian forces struck the Orlivka international ferry checkpoint on the Danube river border with Romania.
Yahodyn border gas station strike: On Sept. 13, Russian forces struck a commercial gas station located on the Ukrainian-Polish border near the major Yahodyn checkpoint. Volyn Customs spokesperson Valentyna Chernysh reported that the strike damaged the station, while falling burning wreckage ignited service buildings and several commercial freight trucks.
Second strike on the Polish border: On Sept. 28, Russian forces carried out a second strike near the Ukrainian-Polish border in Volyn Oblast deploying a high-speed jet drone, with the resulting blast wave damaging the primary customs checkpoint building at the terminal entrance.
Moldovan missile wreckage: On Oct. 3, fragments from three Russian missiles and two drones were discovered across four raions of Moldova following an overnight Russian barrage of jet drones and Banderol cruise missiles targeting Odesa Oblast. The Moldovan Ministry of Defense later confirmed that its military radar registered six unauthorized airspace intrusions on Oct. 3 alone, including five aerial devices that detonated on the ground and an additional transiting aircraft.
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