Projectile hits bus and booth at Palanca crossing, injuring a Moldovan border officer

At about 09:38 on 5 October 2026 a projectile fell near the Palanca crossing point on the Moldova–Ukraine border (Palanca–Maiaki-Udobnoe), ricocheted and struck a route bus parked near the barrier. Moldova's Border Police said one of its officers was lightly injured, the bus and the control booth were damaged, and no other victims were recorded. The Border Police attributed the incident to Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, but the type and origin of the projectile were not officially stated. The crossing was temporarily suspended and traffic diverted to Tudora.

Established by. Border Police of Moldova, 5 Oct 2026 (border.gov.md), release titled 'Incident în urma atacurilor Rusiei asupra infrastructurii ucrainene': 'în preajma PTF Palanca a căzut un proiectil'; 'un angajat al Poliției de Frontieră este ușor rănit, alte victime nu au fost înregistrate'; 'proiectilul a provocat deteriorări autobusului și cabinei de control'. No MFA statement, protest or formal identification of the projectile as Russian was found.

Latest. An update on the Border Police release says operation of the Palanca–Maiaki-Udobnoe crossing resumed. Romania's ambassador in Chișinău, Cristian-Leon Țurcanu, condemned the incident as a direct consequence of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine (Informat.ro).

Link to the war against Ukraine. The Border Police said the incident resulted from Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure across the border in Odesa region.