Evidence

Multiple independent news outlets report this exact statement. European Pravda (via Ukrainska Pravda), Yahoo News, Interfax-Ukraine, and Ukrinform all reported that Moldovan Defence Minister Anatolie Nosatîi stated at a press conference that a drone which entered Moldovan airspace on the night of October 14-15, 2026 (near Ştefan Vodă district, remaining for about eight minutes before leaving toward Ukraine) was 'definitely' Russian. The underlying airspace-violation event itself is independently confirmed by Moldova's Ministry of Defense official statement, cited by Interfax-Ukraine, which detailed the drone's flight path from Hradenytsi (Odesa region) to Purcari and back into Ukraine near Starokozache during the massive overnight Russian attack on Ukraine. This fits a broader pattern of repeated Moldovan airspace violations by drones during Russian strikes on Ukraine (e.g., incidents on Sept 30, Oct 3, and Oct 16 also reported by Kyiv Independent, Ukrinform and Moldova's MoD). No dedicated fact-check from Reuters, AFP, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo specifically examining this October 14-15 statement was found in search results, though the claim is simply a direct quote of an official statement, not an independent forensic claim requiring such verification.