Russian Shahed drone flies into Moldova

One of Russia's Shahed-type drones flew into Moldova and exploded on the night of 12-13 July, near a village almost 30 km from Moldova's border with Ukraine.

As reported by Newsmaker, the General Police Inspectorate reported that at 01:03, a call was received via the emergency services number about an object resembling a drone found on the outskirts of the village of Kopanka in Căușeni district. It exploded after falling.

"Police officers and firefighters arrived at the scene. Early information indicates that no one was injured. The area has been cordoned off and law enforcement is conducting an investigation to establish all the circumstances," the police stated.

The Moldovan Ministry of Defence subsequently confirmed that this was a Russian Shahed (Geran-2) loitering munition that entered Moldovan airspace during a Russian attack on targets in Odesa Oblast.

"This new incident is a serious and unacceptable violation of Moldovan airspace and once again confirms that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine poses direct threats to the security of our citizens and the entire region," the Ministry of Defence stated.

The overnight incident is a continuation of numerous cases in which Russian UAVs have entered or fallen on Moldovan territory. In all cases, there were no casualties or material damage. One such aerial vehicle was put on display at the entrance to the Foreign Ministry when the Russian ambassador was summoned there.

At the end of May, a Russian Shahed UAV flew into the upper floor of a residential block in the Romanian border city of Galați and seriously damaged a flat, marking the first such incident since the start of the full-scale war.