---
title: "Air object breaches Moldovan airspace near breakaway Transnistria"
url: https://radiomoldova.md/p/84091/air-object-breaches-moldovan-airspace-near-breakaway-transnistria
published: 2026-08-31T06:01:07Z
language: en
author: "Rodica Mazur"
section: "Social"
source: radiomoldova.md
---

# Air object breaches Moldovan airspace near breakaway Transnistria

> An unidentified aerial object briefly breached Moldova's sovereign airspace on Saturday near the breakaway region of Transnistria before returning to Ukraine amid heavy Russian airstrikes, the Defense Ministry in Chișinău said.

![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/46063039-4854-471d-8b91-33985560529b.jpg)

An unidentified aerial object briefly breached Moldova's sovereign airspace on Saturday near the breakaway region of Transnistria before returning to Ukraine amid heavy Russian airstrikes, the Defense Ministry in Chișinău said.

Military radar operators detected the unauthorized craft at 3:50 p.m. crossing the frontier from Limanske in Ukraine's Odesa region toward Dnestrovsk, a town in Moldova's pro-Russian breakaway territory. Nine minutes later, at 3:59 p.m., the aircraft reversed direction and re-entered Ukrainian airspace along the same flight path.

**Spillover from Russian Air Assaults**

Moldovan defense officials said the unauthorized flight resulted directly from Moscow's aerial bombardment of neighboring Ukraine on Saturday. National authorities, coordinating with international partners, maintained continuous surveillance over sovereign airspace to safeguard civilians, the ministry stated.

The incident marks the latest incursion into the EU candidate nation's skies. On August 27, during Moldova's Independence Day celebrations, five Russian drones breached national airspace, with one coming down near the southern village of Carabetovca along the Chișinău-Basarabeasca road.

Following radiographic and forensic inspections, national police confirmed the crashed aircraft was a Russian "Parodiya" model, an unarmed decoy drone designed to overwhelm air defenses that contained no explosive payload.

**Urgent Need for Modern Air Defenses**

The recurring incursions highlight an urgent imperative to upgrade the country's military radar and interception systems, Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatîi said in a recent assessment.

*“The National Army requires modern, high-performance equipment to effectively monitor and protect our sovereign skies,” Nosatîi said, stressing that regional air defense cooperation remains paramount.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, military authorities in Chișinău have documented approximately 70 illegal violations of Moldovan airspace by Russian missiles and drones.

Translation by **Iurie Tataru**