Lyce · Hybrid Watch
hw_b294b102b85e8b6e
Shahed-type drone crosses Moldovan airspace before continuing into Romania.
On 8 September 2026 at approximately 16:20, Moldova’s National Army air-surveillance systems detected the unauthorized entry of an unmanned aircraft coming from the direction of Ukraine. The Ministry of Defence identified it as a Shahed-type drone and reported that it crossed the Transnistrian sector before proceeding toward Chișinău and then westward through Bălănești, Cetireni and Zagarancea in Ungheni District. Moldova temporarily closed part of its national airspace as a precaution. At approximately 16:37, the aircraft left Moldova near Zagarancea and continued toward Romania. The flight occurred during a major Russian missile and drone strike against Ukraine; ISW assessed the object as a Russian drone but explicitly stated that it could not determine whether its flight into Moldovan or Romanian airspace was deliberate.
E/M/R/S scores
- EExistence0/4 · Not assessed
- MIntent0/4 · Not assessed
- RRussian actor link0/4 · Not assessed
- SRussian state responsibility0/4 · Not assessed
Facts
No facts
Sources
-
- Role
- discovery_lead
- Date
- 2026-09-08T08:26:29Z
On 8 September 2026 at approximately 16:20, Moldova’s National Army air-surveillance systems detected the unauthorized entry of an unmanned aircraft coming from the direction of Ukraine. The Ministry of Defence identified it as a Shahed-type drone and reported that it crossed the Transnistrian sector before proceeding toward Chișinău and then westward through Bălănești, Cetireni and Zagarancea in Ungheni District. Moldova temporarily closed part of its national airspace as a precaution. At approximately 16:37, the aircraft left Moldova near Zagarancea and continued toward Romania. The flight occurred during a major Russian missile and drone strike against Ukraine; ISW assessed the object as a Russian drone but explicitly stated that it could not determine whether its flight into Moldovan or Romanian airspace was deliberate.