Moldova shut its airspace for about one hour late on November 28-29 after two Russian drones crossed its territory during a large strike on Ukraine, forcing flight diversions in the third such incident in nine days. Flights bound for Chisinau were diverted to Romania, while departures were grounded, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defence.

President Maia Sandu condemned the intrusion, while European officials pledged additional support. The incidents, however, are becoming increasingly frequent over the skies of Moldova and Romania, with no concrete countermeasures yet adopted. Moldovan authorities have summoned the Russian ambassador in previous similar cases and are expected to do so again.

“Violations of Moldovan airspace by Russian drones are unacceptable and threaten civilian air traffic. This year, the EU will invest €20mn in Moldova’s air defense to strengthen the country’s security. Moldova’s skies cannot become a victim of a war unleashed by Russia,” European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas wrote on November 29 on X.

The European Union had previously announced on April 24 a €20mn grant under the European Peace Facility to modernise Moldova’s short-range air defence systems, but it remains unclear whether the announcement was followed by concrete steps.

The latest incident came only days after six drones entered Moldova’s airspace on November 25, one of which fell on the roof of a farm building. The Russian ambassador, confronted with the largely intact device, questioned the authenticity of the drone.

On the same day, Romania reported the deepest intrusion of a Russian drone into its territory, which travelled about 100km before hitting a tree. The drone was reportedly similar to the one found in Moldova, a Gerbera model without explosives used as a decoy in mass attacks on Ukraine. Romania scrambled German Eurofighter Typhoons and Romanian F-16s in response.

According to the Moldovan Ministry of Defence, the November 28-29 intrusion triggered an emergency closure from 22:43 to 23:53 after detection by the National Army’s Air Operations Service and confirmation from Ukrainian border authorities. Two inbound flights were rerouted to Romania, while one outbound flight was held at Chisinau International Airport. The northern sector of Moldova’s airspace remained restricted until 23:32, when both drones were confirmed to have exited national airspace.

Moldovan authorities activated inter-agency coordination mechanisms involving the Border Police, the National Police and the Ministry of Defence to monitor the airspace and conduct field checks along possible drone trajectories. No debris was recovered, and officials stated that operational data confirmed the drones had “definitively left” Moldovan territory.