Moldova & Transnistria

Assessment

Airspace violations from the Ukrainian war continued at a steady, mostly minor tempo. On Sept 8 the National Army tracked a Shahed-type drone entering from Ukraine at 16:20 through the Transnistrian sector toward Bender, which left near Zagarancea at 16:37 toward Romania's Iasi county, prompting airspace restrictions at Chisinau and NATO fighter jets scrambling on the Romanian side. Moldova partially restricted its airspace again on Sept 12 over an unidentified drone entering from the direction of Ukraine, and on Sept 14 a drone crossed about 500 metres into Moldovan airspace near Palanca at 10:33 before returning to Ukrainian airspace a minute later, confirmed by both Moldova's Border Police and Ukraine's State Border Guard Service. Chisinau, which left the CIS in April and has no fast-jet force and no fielded ground-based air defence, is pressing reintegration of Transnistria as the enclave's energy crisis deepens and Moscow eases citizenship for its residents.