An unknown flying object is sighted over Moldova. Later, a missile also appears over neighboring Romania that cannot be identified. Speculations about a Russian spy balloon are doing the rounds. Moldova is temporarily closing its airspace.
The Republic of Moldova closed its airspace for around three hours on Tuesday, citing security risks. The civil aviation authority of the country bordering Ukraine said it had been informed of a “small unidentified object”. Because the weather conditions prevented a more detailed investigation, the airspace was closed “to ensure the protection and safety of civil aviation,” it said.
Initially, the media and social media channels suspected that a Russian drone could have alerted the authorities. Then there were reports of a weather or espionage balloon that is said to have flown first over Ukraine, then on to Moldova and finally to Romania, the EU country bordering to the west.
Romanian air traffic control confirmed that they had registered a balloon in the south-east of their country at an altitude of around 11,000 meters and then sent two fighter planes there under NATO command. However, the pilots did not see the missile – neither with their own eyes nor on the radar, as the Ministry of Defense in Bucharest announced. The spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuri Ihnat, had previously spoken of such objects in Ukrainian airspace.
The incident came a day after Moldova’s President Maia Sandu accused Russia of planning a violent coup in her country. Russia denies the allegations. Little Moldova has 2.6 million inhabitants and lies between EU and NATO member Romania and Ukraine. The country, which was part of the Soviet Union until 1991, has made a pro-Western turn in recent years, angering Moscow. Moldova was granted EU candidate status in 2022.
