The General Inspectorate of the Border Police reported that during the night of 18 March 2026, in the area of the Palanca border crossing point, several instances of airspace violation by a Shahed‑type unmanned aerial vehicle were recorded, TRIBUNA reports.

The first detection occurred at around 01:46, when duty personnel observed the presence of a UAV crossing the national airspace in the direction of the Ukrainian city Bilhorod‑Dnistrovskyi. Then, between 02:14 and 02:25, the same aircraft was again spotted over the Palanca border crossing area, after which it finally exited the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. The Air Operations Service of the National Army did not confirm the detection, noting that the UAV did not appear on radar.

According to the authorities, it was a single UAV, which, after leaving Moldovan airspace, was destroyed over the estuary, outside the territory of the Republic of Moldova. The situation remained under control, no incidents on the ground were recorded, and the safety of citizens was not affected.