Russia Strikes Moldova Border as Ukraine Hits Black Sea Port
A Russian drone strike on the Starokazache–Tudora border crossing in Ukraine's Odesa region on September 9, 2026, killed two people, injured three and damaged checkpoint infrastructure, forcing the evacuation of 16 people and the closure of the crossing. Russian strikes also hit Kyiv, killing one and wounding 17, while Ukraine said it struck the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk overnight, where Russian officials reported four deaths including a child.
Why It Matters
The attacks underscore the widening geographic impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, with violence reaching a crossing on the Moldova border and prompting concerns in Chisinau about spillover risk. The exchanges also highlight continuing cross-border strikes and counterstrikes that complicate diplomatic and security efforts in the region.
Key Facts
- Date: September 9, 2026
- Border crossing attacked: Starokazache–Tudora, Odesa region (Ukraine)
- Border strike casualties: 2 killed, 3 injured
- Evacuations at crossing: 16 people evacuated
- Kyiv strike casualties: 1 killed, 17 injured
A Russian drone struck the Starokazache–Tudora crossing between Ukraine and Moldova on September 9, damaging checkpoint infrastructure, vehicles and nearby buildings, Ukrainian border guards said. The attack sparked a large fire, forced the evacuation of 16 people and left two civilians dead and three others wounded; Ukrainian authorities closed the crossing after the strike.
Moldovan leaders strongly condemned the incident, and President Maia Sandu warned that Russian operations are moving westward and increase the urgency of air-defense measures for Ukraine. The strike followed an incident the previous day in which a Russian drone entered Moldovan airspace and prompted a temporary halt to flights that delayed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s departure from Moldova for Norway. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store later said Zelenskyy’s plane had been "almost hit by a drone," a claim that a Ukrainian presidential source called exaggerated; Moldovan officials said they briefly closed airspace after detecting a drone.
Russian drones also struck the Ukrainian capital overnight, hitting a 24-story residential building and causing a fire; Kyiv authorities reported one fatality and 17 people wounded. Moscow has continued a campaign of near-daily strikes on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure using drones, missiles and guided aerial bombs, according to Ukrainian accounts.
Ukraine said it carried out a strike on the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk overnight, hitting naval facilities including a terminal used to load oil, military port infrastructure and warships. Russian officials confirmed the attack and reported four deaths, including a child, in the Krasnodar region. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces downed 596 Ukrainian drones overnight. The incidents came amid recent diplomatic activity in the region, including visits to Kyiv by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner following their meetings in Moscow, a phone call between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump the Kremlin described as "constructive and quite frank," and President Zelenskyy’s travels to Norway and then Canada to press for air-defense and other support.