Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 3 condemned a series of airspace violations involving Shahed drones launched by Russia, calling the incidents an “unacceptable” breach of sovereignty and international law, Unimedia reported.

The latest incident, the third within a week, occurred on April 3 in the Tudora area of the Ștefan Vodă district, when a drone entered Moldovan airspace from Ukraine’s Odesa region and flew over national territory, according to the Ministry of Defence. 

Authorities said an unmanned aerial vehicle crossed the border near the settlement of Biliaivka on April 1 and continued towards Tudora. The Foreign Ministry warned that such incidents pose risks to citizens’ safety and regional stability.

“This incident constitutes an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova,” the ministry said, calling for full respect of its airspace.

The incident follows a series of similar overflights in recent days. On March 30, Moldova’s Air Operations Service detected another Shahed drone crossing into the country from the Odesa region and flying over several localities, including Dubăsari and Orhei, before disappearing from radar.

A separate incident was recorded on March 31, when a drone entered Moldovan airspace over the Transnistrian segment and exited shortly afterwards, according to the Ministry of Defence.

"We live in a very unstable world, and the Russian Federation keeps testing us, testing our response capabilities, testing how the authorities react to such incidents," warned security and defense expert Artur Leșcu cited by Cotidianul.

The expert also pointed out that Moldova's current detection systems are not fully effective against small drones, especially when they fly at low altitudes.