A Shahed drone entered the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. “It was detected above several localities”

A Shahed type drone flew over the airspace of the Republic of Moldova without authorization on Monday evening and was observed above several localities, informs the Ministry of Defense in Chisinau, which specified that the aircraft disappeared from the radar in the meantime.

The Air Operations Service of the Army of the Republic of Moldova observed the drone at 21:29.

The aircraft crossed the border from the direction of Comarivka, a town in the Odesa region of Ukraine, towards the town of Shipca in the Republic of Moldova, according to data provided by air surveillance systems.

“The information was also confirmed by the Ukrainian side. The aircraft was later monitored on the territory of the country, being detected above several localities, including Dubăsari and Orhei, moving north at an altitude of approximately 1,700 meters and an estimated speed of approximately 180 km/h,” said the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova in the statement sent.

The airspace in the north of the Republic of Moldova, restricted for 15 minutes

According to the institution, during the incident, the established procedures were activated. Thus, the Civil Aviation Authority temporarily restricted the airspace in the northern area of ​​the country, for a period of 15 minutes.

“The monitoring of the trajectory continued until 10:03 p.m., when the drone disappeared from the radar near the town of Clișova, Orhei district,” the statement added.

The airspace of the Republic of Moldova was reopened at 22:18, the institution stated.

“The airspace surveillance systems of the National Army continue to monitor the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, the institution cooperates with national institutions and specialists from neighboring countries for the safety of citizens. We urge citizens to keep calm and get information only from official sources. In case of sighting of suspicious aircraft, contact the 112 Service,” the ministry concluded.