Debris from an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle has been discovered among vineyards in Moldova’s Ștefan Vodă region. Experts from the Center for Technical Criminalistics and Forensic Expertise have been sent to the site to determine what the object is and where it came from.
Moldovan police urged citizens not to approach or touch the debris and to stay away from the area until the inspection is completed. At this point, there is no confirmed conclusion regarding the country or entity to which the drone belongs.
New Incidents in Airspace
The case comes amid a series of incidents linked to the war in Ukraine. On November 11, Moldova’s national integrated surveillance system reported that two „Banderol“ S8000 cruise missiles had entered the country’s airspace during large-scale Russian attacks on Ukraine.
A drone carrying an explosive charge was also discovered in the village of Chiștelnița, having fallen about 100 meters from a residential building. Following the incident, Moldova’s Foreign Ministry announced that it would declare an employee of the Russian Embassy in Chișinău persona non grata. President Maia Sandu said that the war waged by Russia continued to put Moldovan citizens at risk.
Chișinău Defends Agreement with Kyiv
Against this backdrop, the Moldovan government approved an agreement with Ukraine on military-technical cooperation. The document provides for the exchange of experience and expertise, technical and scientific information, as well as joint work on the modernization and safe operation of military equipment.
The areas listed include logistics, the protection of critical infrastructure, the development of cyber defense and airspace monitoring. The arrangements also cover engineering equipment, protection against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, medical support and the protection of service members.
The agreement allows for mutual assistance and the transfer of non-lethal equipment, including ambulances, specialized transport and unmanned aircraft not intended for combat operations. Cooperation in natural disasters, other crisis situations and humanitarian operations is also envisaged.
„The cooperation is exclusively consultative in nature,“ Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatîi said.According to him, the measures under the agreement cannot be interpreted as direct military assistance to a country involved in an armed conflict. Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said that the agreement did not violate Moldova’s neutrality and posed no security risks.
„There are no secrets here. There has been a great deal of unfounded speculation. Now society can see for itself that this agreement is constructive and does not expose us to risks; on the contrary – it strengthens us,“ Tofan said.
The agreement was signed on October 26, 2026, during a visit by a Moldovan delegation to Kyiv. Moldova’s Socialist Party described it as a threat to the country’s neutrality and said it could draw Moldova into the war between Ukraine and Russia. The government rejected these assessments and urged the party to abandon its „belligerent rhetoric.“
Sources: eurointegration.com.ua, pravda.com.ua