Moldova airspace closure after drone incursion delays Zelenskyy flight

Moldova briefly closed its airspace after a drone incursion delayed flights, including Volodymyr Zelenskyy's. The incident underscored the regional spillover risk from Russia's war as investigators examined suspected Geran-type fragments.

In Short

• Moldova shut its airspace briefly to protect aircraft during the threat
• A drone crashed in Riscani district, sparking four fires in fields
• No injuries were reported after the explosion formed a sizeable crater

A flight carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Moldova to Norway was delayed after Moldovan authorities briefly closed the country's airspace following a drone incursion, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The closure, imposed on Tuesday afternoon, delayed three departures before restrictions were lifted and Zelenskyy's plane left later than scheduled. Moldovan police said a Russian drone had crashed in the country a day earlier, causing fires but no injuries.

Police said the drone came down in a sunflower field on the outskirts of a village in the Riscani district, triggering four fires. Moldovan authorities said the drone crashed and exploded around 160 km from Chisinau International Airport.

Government spokesperson Dumitru Ciorici said the airspace was shut on Tuesday to protect aircraft flying over Moldova at the time. The drone had entered Moldovan airspace and later crossed into neighbouring Romania, a NATO member, where it was tracked through several north-eastern counties.

According to the ministry, two F-18 aircraft of the Spanish Air and Space Forces were scrambled to monitor its trajectory before it re-entered Moldovan airspace. On Wednesday, Moldovan police said explosives experts had found fragments of the drone with a propulsion system and features similar to a Geran-type drone, which Moscow has used extensively in its full-scale war in Ukraine.

"Investigations identified the point of impact, where an explosion occurred and a crater of considerable size was formed," police said, adding that specialists are continuing investigations "to determine the type and mass of the explosive payload". Ukraine borders both Romania and Moldova, and both countries have reported dozens of drone incidents since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

In sum, Moldovan authorities temporarily shut the country's airspace after a drone incursion, delaying three flights including Zelenskyy's, while investigators continued to examine the drone fragments and the site where it crashed.

With PTI Inputs

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