The Republic of Moldova temporarily closed its airspace yesterday because of a flying object that officials say resembled a weather balloon. The country’s civil aviation authority said it had been alerted to an “unidentified small object”. As weather conditions prevented a more detailed investigation, the airspace was closed “to ensure the safety and security of civil aviation”, he said.
The airspace reopened more than two hours later. A Moldovan newspaper reported that a “foreign drone” flew without permission. The incident came a day after Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of planning a violent coup in her country. Russia denies the allegations.
In the neighboring country, Romania, a flying object was also sighted at an altitude of about 3,400 meters, which externally resembled a weather balloon. Whether it was the same object was unclear. However, two Romanian fighter jets under NATO command failed to locate the object during a reconnaissance flight, according to the Ministry of Defense in Bucharest.