---
title: "Shahed drone illegally flew over Moldova"
url: https://radiomoldova.md/p/83447/shahed-drone-illegally-flew-over-moldova
published: 2026-08-20T07:01:32Z
language: en
author: "Liubomir Guțu"
section: "Political"
source: radiomoldova.md
---

# Shahed drone illegally flew over Moldova

> On the night of August 20, another Russian drone unauthorizedly crossed the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. The aircraft was tracked for six minutes, from 03:16 to 03:22, flying over the village of Etulia in the Gagauzia autonomy.

![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/3ba443e2-df0d-4a6d-84c9-15d048d9f232.jpg)

On the night of August 20, another Russian drone unauthorizedly crossed the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. The aircraft was tracked for six minutes, from 03:16 to 03:22, flying over the village of Etulia in the Gagauzia autonomy.

Monitored by the National Army's surveillance systems, a drone, preliminarily identified as the Shahed 136 (also known as Geran-2), entered national airspace from the Ukrainian town of Cotlovina in the Reni district, heading towards Etulia.

The aircraft exited the territory of the Republic of Moldova at 03:22 and re-entered Ukrainian airspace shortly thereafter.

This unauthorized overflight occurred amidst a series of massive air attacks launched by the Russian Federation on Ukraine that night.

The most recent similar incident occurred on August 17, when another Russian drone fell and exploded approximately three kilometers from the town of Talmaza in the Stefan Voda district, igniting a forest fire.

Since the onset of the war against Ukraine, the airspace of the Republic of Moldova has been illegally overflown 66 times, according to data from the National Army.

President Maia Sandu emphasized during the show "La 360 de grade" on Radio Moldova that some of the drones enter the territory of the Republic of Moldova by chance, while others are intentionally sent.

"The Russian Federation does not care about the protest notes, nor does it heed the messages from all the countries affected by Russia's aggression," the president stated on Radio Moldova.

***

An investigation by The New York Times, published on August 14, revealed, based on information from Western intelligence officials, that the Kremlin prioritizes the conquest of Ukraine above all else, with the control of the Republic of Moldova as its second priority.

Though not a member of the European Union or NATO, the Republic of Moldova holds strategic significance as it is situated between NATO member states and Ukraine.

According to officials, the Republic of Moldova could play an ideal role for Russia in a potential future aggression against Ukraine or the West. They noted that Putin still aims to seize territory in southern Ukraine to establish a land corridor linking Russia to the Republic of Moldova.