Key facts
- A suspected Russian drone strike on the Starokozache border crossing killed two civilians and injured three.
- Moldovan President Maia Sandu condemned the strike and urged more air defense support for Ukraine.
- A suspected Russian Shahed-type drone violated Moldovan and Romanian airspace on Sept. 8, triggering NATO scrambles.
- The drone crashed in Moldova, approximately 25 kilometers east of the Romanian border.
- This was the fourth attack on a border crossing between Moldova and Ukraine.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu condemned an overnight Russian drone strike on the Starokozache international border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova, which killed two civilians and injured three others. The strike, the fourth on a border crossing between the two nations, prompted Sandu to urge for increased air defense support for Ukraine and warn of Russia's westward advance.
Earlier on September 8, a suspected Russian Shahed-type drone violated Moldovan and Romanian airspace, leading to emergency alerts and the scrambling of NATO fighter jets. The drone entered Moldovan airspace from Ukraine and later crashed in Moldova, approximately 25 kilometers east of the Romanian border. Romanian authorities had issued emergency warnings and temporarily suspended flights at Iasi International Airport.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the international community's response to such strikes, while the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine noted that Russia likely aims to disrupt logistics with these attacks on border infrastructure. Operations at the Starokozache border crossing have since resumed.