Ukraine shoots down Russian cruise missile over Moldova, no casualties, but buildings hit
Russian cruise missile flew over Moldovan airspace, was targeted to attack Dniester hydro power plant (Photo:Ministerul Afacerilor Interne al Republicii Moldova)
Ukrainian air defenses shot down a Russian cruise missile over the village of Naslavcea, in the district of Oknytsia, Moldova on Oct. 31, Moldova’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a post on Facebook.
Parts of the destroyed missile fell on the settlement, which is located directly on the border with Ukraine, on the banks of the Dniester River.
No casualties were reported in the incident, although some buildings were damaged.
Ukraine said the Russian missile had been targeted to attack the Dniester hydroelectric power plant, which is located ten kilometers up-river to the north of the Naslavcea hydroelectric power plant.
There were no impacts on the dam at the Dniester plant, and there is no threat of flooding, Ukrainian authorities said.
Currently, the Moldovan military is inspecting the area where the missile debris came down.
This is the second time in recent weeks that Russian cruise missiles have violated Moldovan airspace during a mass attack on Ukrainian infrastructure. Previously, Moldovan authorities also discussed the possibility of closing the airspace in connection with the missile attacks of Ukraine, but later abandoned this idea.
Nevertheless, Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air announced on Oct. 28 that it was temporarily closing its base in Chisinau and moving its Moldovan operation to Romania.
Moldovan mass media reported that the company will stop operating its base in Chisinau from Dec. 1, and is also making adjustments to its winter schedule due to the possible risks of a closure of the airspace in Moldova.
Speaker of the Parliament of Moldova Igor Grosu stated the need to reform the army in order to be able to protect the country from the Russian cruise missiles that the Russian Federation fires at Ukraine through Moldovan airspace.
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