A Moldovan village near the border with Ukraine was evacuated on Tuesday after a Russian drone crashed into a residential house, highlighting once again how Russia’s war on Ukraine is spilling over into the airspace of neighbouring states.

According to Moldovan police, the incident took place in Cuhureștii de Jos in the Florești district in the northeast of the country. The drone came down on the roof of a house, prompting the authorities to order the evacuation of residents living nearby. No casualties were reported, and initial information suggests the drone did not explode.

Police dispatched a specialist explosives unit to the scene to assess the risk of any remaining munitions and to secure debris for investigation. The area around the impact site was quickly cordoned off, and access was restricted to ensure the safety of residents and emergency personnel. Local authorities have not yet disclosed how many people were evacuated from the village.

Moldova’s Ministry of Defence later confirmed that a total of six drones had violated the country’s airspace during Russia’s large overnight attack on Ukraine. Radar data indicated that one of the drones was first detected in the direction of Vinogradovca–Vulcănești in southern Moldova before moving toward the border with Romania, over the area between Colibași (Cahul district) and Vadul lui Isac. The drones reportedly flew at an altitude of around 1,500 metres.

The incident occurred as Russia launched a massive missile and drone barrage against Ukraine, striking Kyiv and other regions and causing extensive damage to energy infrastructure. Ukrainian and Western sources reported that some of the attack drones strayed into the airspace of Moldova and NATO member Romania, triggering alerts and military responses in both countries.

Romania’s defence authorities said their radars had detected suspicious aerial targets near the border and fighter jets were scrambled as a precaution, part of standard NATO procedures when unidentified objects approach Alliance airspace. Earlier episodes in 2024 and 2025 saw Russian drones or fragments land on Romanian and Moldovan territory after strikes on Ukrainian targets close to their borders, incidents that both governments condemned as dangerous violations of sovereignty.

Chişinău has repeatedly warned that Russia’s use of Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones and other UAVs near its borders creates a constant risk of debris or whole drones falling on Moldovan soil. President Maia Sandu and defence officials have pressed for tighter control of national airspace and for legal changes that would allow Moldova to intercept hostile drones more effectively, amid a growing number of such incidents since 2022.

Tuesday’s crash in Cuhureștii de Jos adds to a list of similar events that underline how non-combatant states are being physically affected by the war next door, despite not being parties to the conflict. While no one was injured this time, the evacuation and the visible presence of police and bomb disposal teams are likely to deepen public anxiety in Moldova, a country already under strong political and economic pressure from Russia’s aggression against neighbouring Ukraine.