Lyce · Hybrid Watch
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Drone crosses Moldovan and Romanian airspace during a Russian attack on southern Ukraine.
On 24 August, an unidentified drone entered Moldovan airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine’s Odesa region. Moldova’s Defence Ministry detected the aircraft at approximately 05:55 after it approached from the direction of Vynohradivka in Odesa Oblast. The UAV flew toward Vulcănești in Moldova before continuing north-west. At approximately 06:09, it left Moldovan territory near Pașcani in Cahul District and continued toward Romania. Romanian radar subsequently detected a signal inside Romanian airspace near Târgu Bujor in Galați County. Romania scrambled two F-16 fighters and an IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter to monitor the target. Authorities also issued a public RO-Alert warning. Moldova temporarily restricted southern airspace for approximately 15 minutes. The drone’s exact origin was not established, but the violation occurred directly during a large Russian missile-and-drone attack against Odesa.
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
- 2026-08-24T21:22:23Z
On 24 August, an unidentified drone entered Moldovan airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine’s Odesa region. Moldova’s Defence Ministry detected the aircraft at approximately 05:55 after it approached from the direction of Vynohradivka in Odesa Oblast. The UAV flew toward Vulcănești in Moldova before continuing north-west. At approximately 06:09, it left Moldovan territory near Pașcani in Cahul District and continued toward Romania. Romanian radar subsequently detected a signal inside Romanian airspace near Târgu Bujor in Galați County. Romania scrambled two F-16 fighters and an IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter to monitor the target. Authorities also issued a public RO-Alert warning. Moldova temporarily restricted southern airspace for approximately 15 minutes. The drone’s exact origin was not established, but the violation occurred directly during a large Russian missile-and-drone attack against Odesa.