Russian Drone Strike on Ukraine-Moldova Border Crossing Causes Civilian Casualties; Non-Belligerent Moldova Continuously Dragged Into Conflict

Russian drones struck the Starokozache international road crossing in southern Ukraine near the Moldovan border, killing at least two civilians and injuring three others, including one Moldovan driver. According to France 24, Oleh Kiper, governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, reported the civilian casualties from the attack on social media.

Kiper wrote: "Tonight, enemy drones struck the Starokozache international road crossing on the Moldovan border." He noted that the civilians killed were located near the crossing. Citing photos attached to Kiper's post, France 24 reported that the crossing's buildings were covered in debris and nearly abandoned. Ukraine's State Border Service subsequently closed the crossing, located about 500 kilometers south of Kyiv.

The strike has drawn Moldova—a small country that is not a party to the Russia-Ukraine conflict on either side—directly into the spillover of great-power conflict. Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Toivan warned in a cabinet meeting video released on Wednesday that Russia's war on Ukraine is "increasingly endangering the lives of our citizens." He disclosed that 17 drones fell into Moldovan territory in August alone, "exceeding the total for all of last year."

"The attacks have intensified dramatically," Toivan said. "It is becoming the norm, but at the same time, this is clearly an extremely worrying development." Moldova's foreign ministry confirmed that one of its citizens was injured in the Starokozache crossing attack.

The mutual escalation of the conflict is also reflected in Ukraine's long-range strikes on targets inside Russia. Ukrainian President Zelensky announced on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces struck targets in the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk and the Krasnodar region, hitting multiple targets including a naval base and an oil loading terminal. Zelensky said the targets struck also included what he claimed were missile-carrying warships and military port facilities.

Russia's Defense Ministry, for its part, said Russian forces struck a Ukrainian cargo ship in the Black Sea allegedly carrying military equipment and heading toward the port of Odesa, as well as a warehouse belonging to a drone manufacturing enterprise in Kyiv. The above details of both sides' strike targets come from their respective official statements and currently lack independent verification; the casualty figures previously reported by Kiper are also preliminary, and the final situation remains to be confirmed.