CHISINAU: Moldova on Saturday said it suspected a drone was behind an “unacceptable” violation of its airspace the day before that resulted in an explosion near its capital Chisinau.

The incident, which caused no reported casualties or damage, “represents a new and serious consequence from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” Moldova’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

It added that “any unauthorized entry into Moldovan airspace is unacceptable and constitutes a serious violation to our country’s sovereignty.”

The explosion occurred Friday in Colonita, a village close to Chisinau. Police said in a Facebook post they found debris apparently from a drone near the blast site.

Authorities did not give the origin of the suspected drone.

But several drone incursions have been reported with increasing frequency in recent months in eastern European countries that have been attributed to the ongoing war in Ukraine launched by Russia in 2022.

Moldova’s border police said that several unidentified aerial craft flew into the country’s airspace on Saturday, in the southeast, with one of them crashing in Ukrainian territory.

Last week, Moldova closed its airspace after a Russian drone was detected flying in from Ukraine, forcing a delayed takeoff from Chisinau of a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was making a visit.