Moldova reports two Russian Banderol missiles crossed its airspace
Moldova's monitoring system detected two Russian drone-launched cruise missiles crossing the country's airspace during large-scale attacks on Ukraine.
By Larissa Bell ·
Two Russian S8000 Banderol drone-launched cruise missiles entered Moldova's airspace on November 11 amid large-scale Russian attacks on Ukraine, according to Moldova's Ministry of Defence. European Pravda, citing the ministry, reported that the country's National Integrated Monitoring System had recorded both crossings.
The first missile crossed the state border at 06:04, travelling from the village of Yasky in Ukraine's Odesa Oblast towards Tudora, a village in Moldova's Ștefan Vodă district. It left Moldovan airspace at 06:09, heading towards the village of Starokozache, also in Odesa Oblast. The reported entry and exit times put its passage through Moldovan airspace at five minutes.
The second missile entered at 06:06 from the direction of Lymanske, a village in Odesa Oblast, and travelled towards Pervomaisc in the Transnistrian segment. It exited Moldovan airspace at 06:10 in the direction of the town of Rozdilna in Odesa Oblast. According to those times, the second missile's passage lasted four minutes, with its entry occurring before the first missile had left.
The ministry said the Moldovan National Army's Air Operations Centre was continuing to monitor the country's airspace. That monitoring was being carried out in coordination with the relevant authorities and partners. The two routes reported by the ministry each began from Odesa Oblast and ended with the missiles heading back towards locations in the same Ukrainian region.
The airspace crossings follow a separate incident involving a drone carrying explosives that was discovered in the Moldovan village of Chiștelnița. The drone had crashed 100 metres from a residential building. After its discovery, Moldova's Foreign Ministry announced that it would declare a staff member of the Russian Embassy in Chișinău persona non grata.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu warned of the danger posed to the country's population, saying that "Russia's war keeps putting Moldovan lives at risk".
The diplomatic dispute also prompted a response from Moscow. On November 10, Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned Lilian Darii, Moldova's ambassador to Russia, to deliver a strong protest over the Moldovan authorities' decision to declare the embassy staff member persona non grata. The decision cited in the Russian protest was taken on October 23. The summons came one day before the two reported missile crossings.
