Moldova two drones, 31 Oct 2026 - airspace reopened at 17:14

Moldova's defence ministry detected a drone from Ukraine at 16:24 local time on October 31, 2026, and lost it on radar at 16:54 near Țibirica, in Călărași District. AirVeto measures that spot 52.0 km in a straight line from central Chișinău.

The ministry reopened the airspace at 17:14. A second drone crossed the border 36 minutes later, at 17:50.

The first drone entered from Odesa region and left radar near Țibirica at 16:54

The ministry's Air Operations Centre logged the first flight at 16:24. The drone approached from Semionovca, in Ukraine's Odesa region. Its heading was Plopi, in Rîbnița District, in the Transnistrian segment. It was later located near Bănești, in Telenești District.

At 16:54 it vanished from radar near Țibirica. The ministry gave no object type for either drone. It said both overflights took place during large-scale Russian strikes on Ukraine.

Bănești lies 20.9 km, by AirVeto's measurement, from Chiștelnița, where a drone fell near a home on October 23. The ministry's October 31 release names no landing site for either aircraft.

Northern airspace closed 22 minutes after detection and reopened at 17:14

The ministry restricted airspace in the north at 16:46, 22 minutes after the first detection. It restricted the central zone at 16:52, two minutes before the radar track ended. Both zones reopened at 17:14, 20 minutes after the drone left radar.

The ministry asked residents not to touch any aircraft or fragments, which may carry explosives. It told them to note the spot, move at least 500 m away, avoid using a phone nearby and call 112.

The second drone crossed northern Moldova in 22 minutes

At 17:50 a second drone entered from the direction of Mihailovka, in Ukraine's Vinnytsia region, toward Sobor in Soroca District. The ministry then located it near the town of Dondușeni. At 18:03 it flew over the villages of Goleni, Gordinești and Burlănești, in Edineț District.

At 18:12 it left Moldovan airspace near Viișoara, in Edineț District. That is 22 minutes after it entered.

It is the 12th Moldova page in AirVeto's 2026 archive, and the third since October 16 in the Telenești and Dondușeni area

On October 16 a drone exploded at Codrenii Noi, in Dondușeni District. On October 23 a drone fell near a home at Chiștelnița, in Telenești District. On October 31 the first drone was located near Bănești in Telenești District, and the second passed near the town of Dondușeni.

Wind over Călărași District blew from the north at 1,000 m and from the west aloft

At 16:00 local time on October 31, the wind at 1,000 m blew from the N at 23 km/h. At 2,000 m it came from the NW at 21 km/h. At 3,000 m it came from the WNW at 25 km/h.

The drones' altitude is not reported. The hourly table under the map shows how the wind changed through the evening.

This reconstruction is based on the Moldovan defence ministry's releases, MOLDPRES, NewsMaker and IPN reporting, and AirVeto's wind-model data for the event window. How the model is built and where it is reliable is on the methodology page.