Key facts
- Ukraine's Air Force claims a Russian S8000 Banderol cruise missile entered Moldovan airspace.
- Moldovan authorities confirmed an unidentified aerial object entered their airspace.
- The object was detected by radar and later crashed near the village of Talmaza.
- Moldovan police are investigating the wreckage found in a corn field.
- Moldovan President Maia Sandu has previously suggested some Russian munitions violate airspace deliberately.
Moldovan authorities confirmed an unidentified aerial object entered the country's airspace on August 17, a day after Ukraine's Air Force claimed a Russian S8000 Banderol cruise missile had done so during an attack on Odesa. The Moldovan Defense Ministry reported that radars detected the object at 17:37 local time, leading to a temporary closure of airspace in the Centru region. The object disappeared from radar near the village of Talmaza, in the Stefan Voda district, and an explosion was subsequently recorded in the area where it crashed. Moldovan police later released footage showing fire and wreckage in a corn field approximately 3 kilometers from Talmaza, which is about 20 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. First responders extinguished the fire, and authorities are now investigating the debris. The Banderol missile, manufactured by Russia's Kronshtadt Group, is reportedly used by Russia to strike targets around Odesa. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has previously stated her belief that some Russian munitions intentionally violate Moldovan airspace, testing regional reactions. Incursions into airspace of countries neighboring Ukraine have become more frequent, with recent incidents involving suspected Russian drones in Romania and a cruise missile in Poland.