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Moldova's Foreign Ministry denied sending a diplomatic protest to Ukraine over an incident involving two Ukrainian border guards, contradicting an earlier statement by a senior Moldovan lawmaker.
On Oct. 19, the chair of Moldova's parliamentary national security committee, Lilian Carp, said protest notes had been sent to Ukraine's embassy and authorities after Ukrainian border guards crossed into Moldova.
Moldova's Foreign Ministry subsequently denied issuing a protest note and indicated that the matter was being addressed through established channels between the two countries' authorities.
The two Ukrainian border guards had entered Moldova in a motorboat on Oct. 15 while attempting to detain a Ukrainian man crossing the Dniester River near Holosnita, along the Vinnytsia Oblast border. Moldova's Border Police detained the officers, and prosecutors opened criminal proceedings over the alleged illegal crossing, an offense under Article 362 of Moldova's Criminal Code.
Ukraine's State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said the man resisted detention and evaded capture, and that low water levels and an engine failure caused the border guards' boat to drift onto the Moldovan bank.
The two guards were returned to Ukraine after discussions between authorities. Ukraine's border service said an internal investigation remained underway. The man they were pursuing remained in Moldova.
The Ukrainian man told Moldovan media that he was trying to reunite with family members who had left Ukraine for Bulgaria because of the war. According to PRO TV Chișinău, he has remained in hospital, and is requesting asylum.
The incident happened during a time of heightened security concerns in Moldova related to Russia's war against Ukraine.
On the night of Oct. 15–16, four Russian drones violated Moldovan airspace before returning to Ukraine, prompting condemnation from Moldova's Foreign Ministry.