airspace closed: North and Centre airspace zones
Moldova / 2026-09-30-md-2
airspace incident: Lunga, Dubăsari District / near Arionești, Dondușeni District (2026-09-30)
/ date of the event
What happened
At 10:26 on 30 September 2026, an unauthorised drone flight was detected near Lunga. The defence ministry closed the North and Centre airspace zones. A later update said the drone was heading north; the Centre zone reopened earlier, and the North also reopened after the object disappeared from monitoring at 11:07 near Arionești. The statement does not give explicit reopening times or closure durations. Disappearance does not confirm departure from the country or a crash. This is a separate episode from the morning Hîrbovăț explosion. Model, operator and full route are undetermined. Detection time does not establish the start of restrictions. No verified coordinates are available; the entry has no map point.
Responsibility and limits of the evidence
unresolved
The case was looked at and not settled, or the findings are disputed or have been rejected.
Impact
- killed
- not established
- injured
- not established
- damage
- not established
What happened next
Later ministry update: disappearance near Arionești at 11:07, reopening of the North zone and earlier reopening of the Centre. Exact reopening times were not given. The full text was read on 5 October.
Sources
- O nouă dronă a survolat spațiul aerian al Republicii Moldova în zona Lunga, Dubăsari
Moldpres / 2026-09-30 / secondary source
supports: the record, that it happened, the date, the location, the impact, the disruption
- Informează - Lunga, Arionești și redeschiderea spațiului aerian
Ministerul Apărării al Republicii Moldova / 2026-09-30 / primary source
supports: the record, that it happened, the date, the location, the disruption