airspace incident: overflight of Moldova from north to south: from Sauca (Ocnița District) via Bălți and the districts of Ungheni, Hîncești and Cahul to Giurgiulești (2026-05-13)

What happened

On 13 May 2026 at 16:00 an unmanned aerial vehicle crossed the border from the direction of Mohyliv-Podilskyi towards Sauca village in Ocnița District, was over Bălți at 16:05, then over the districts of Ungheni and Hîncești (Lăpușna 16:19, Cărpineni 16:23), dropped off radar near Mingir at 16:26, reappeared near Colibași in Cahul District at 16:55 and vanished near Giurgiulești after 16:58. The National Army's air operations service tracked it throughout the flight. For the safety of civil flights the airspace in the North and Centre zones was temporarily closed; according to the Civil Aviation Authority it reopened at 16:59 and operations were kept at an acceptable level of safety. Moldova's foreign ministry called the overflight an unacceptable violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Neither the foreign nor the defence ministry gave the vehicle's type or said who operated it.

Responsibility and limits of the evidence

not assessed

Nobody has yet assessed responsibility for this record. Not assessed is not the same as not established.

Impact

killed

not established

injured

not established

damage

not established

No casualties reported.

Source discrepancy

One Malcontent pin ([340]) carries the date 8 May with the same Radio Moldova article. Radio Moldova and Moldova 1 describe 8 May (09:35, Valea Perjei, Taraclia District) as a separate, earlier overflight. 13 May adopted; 8 May is not part of this record.

The Malcontent review note speaks of a south-to-north flight. The statements of the foreign ministry, the defence ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority describe a flight from the north (Sauca) to the south (Giurgiulești). The direction from the sources is adopted.

Sources

1. Moldova restricts northern airspace over unauthorized drone incident

   Radio Moldova / 2026-05-13 / secondary source

   supports: the record, the route, the disruption, the date

2. Russian Drone Incursion Forces Moldova to Restrict Airspace in Multiple Regions

   United24 Media / 2026-05-13 / secondary source

   supports: the record, the route, the disruption

3. O dronă a survolat neautorizat spațiul aerian al R. Moldova. Traficul aerian din nordul țării, restricționat temporar

   Moldova 1 (za komunikatem Ministerstwa Obrony) / 2026-05-13 / secondary source

   supports: the record, that it happened, the route, the disruption, the date

4. Drona care a traversat ieri R. Moldova a fost monitorizată continuu, anunță Autoritatea Aeronautică Civilă

   Ziar.md (za komunikatem Urzędu Lotnictwa Cywilnego) / 2026-05-14 / secondary source

   supports: the record, the route, the disruption, that it happened

5. MAE condamnă survolarea neautorizată a spațiului aerian de către un aparat de zbor fără pilot: „O încălcare inadmisibilă a suveranității și integrității teritoriale”

   MOLDPRES (za komunikatem MSZ Mołdawii) / 2026-05-13 / secondary source

   supports: the record, the attribution, that it happened, the route

6. Wpis na X (z warstwy Malcontent)

   X / AlexStLeger / secondary source

   supports: the record