Moldova closed its air space for undisclosed safety reasons on Tuesday before later reopening it, a day after the small east European country accused Russia of plotting to bring down its government.
Russia denied the accusation by President Maia Sandu, who has repeatedly expressed concern about Russiaโs intentions towards the former Soviet republic since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Moldovaโs civil aviation authority said an advisory was issued to pilots at 11:24 a.m. (0924 GMT) informing them of the closure of the countryโs air space โto ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights.โ
The airspace was reopened at 2:47 p.m., it said in a brief statement on its website, promising to disclose further details later.
Russian news agency RIA said the airport had confirmed that flights had been cancelled. Moldovaโs government did not immediately comment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week his country had uncovered a Russian intelligence plan โfor the destruction of Moldovaโ. Days later, Moldovaโs government resigned.
Moldova said on Feb. 10 a Russian missile had violated its airspace during an attack on Ukrainian infrastructure and summoned the Russian ambassador to protest.
