UPDATE // Mirnoe-Tabachi border customs post resumes operations

UPDATE // 09:03 a.m. 

Mirnoe-Tabachi border customs post has resumed operations under normal conditions. The operation of the Vulcănești border crossing point, Republic of Moldova, and Vinogradovka, Ukraine, was suspended on the morning of August 25, after the Ukrainian checkpoint was attacked by Shahed-type drones.

According to the Border Police, the aircraft fell on the territory of Ukraine, and no drone fragments or other objects posing risks to the population were identified on the Moldovan side. The Mirnoe (RM)-Tabachi (UA) PFVI crossing point also temporarily halted its activity due to the alarm triggered on the Ukrainian side.

The incident was reported at around 02:51 a.m., when the National Army’s Air Operations Service informed the Border Police about a drone moving from Ukraine towards the Republic of Moldova, in the Vulcănești region, approximately 20 kilometers from the state border. At 03:47 a.m., the authorities announced that the aircraft had disappeared from Ukrainian radars near the locality of Vlădiceni in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, at 03:18 a.m., the Border Police were informed by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine that, at 02:55 a.m., the Vinogradovka crossing point had been attacked by a Shahed-type drone. According to preliminary information, no casualties were reported. At around 03:49 a.m., the stationary patrol at the Vulcănești crossing point observed two more explosions caused by Shahed-type drones on the territory of the Ukrainian crossing point.

The two crossing points are located approximately three kilometers from each other. Following the attack, the Vinogradovka crossing point was damaged, and the operation of the Vulcănești–Vinogradovka crossing point was suspended. Another drone was reported in the Vulcănești region at 03:52 a.m., about 18 kilometers from the state border of the Republic of Moldova.

At 04:18 a.m., the Ukrainian authorities confirmed that it had been shot down. The Border Police specify that all procedural measures provided by the legislation have been undertaken on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. By the morning of August 25, no drone fragments or other objects posing a risk to public security had been detected in the border area on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.

The Moldovan authorities are monitoring the situation and maintaining contact with the competent institutions in Ukraine. The Border Police recommend that citizens who hear noises specific to drones or explosions remain calm, take shelter in a safe space and follow only information communicated by the authorities. People are urged not to approach any possible remnants of aircraft, munitions, or other unknown objects and to immediately notify the authorities at the single emergency number 112.