Ion Munteanu, the nation’s chief prosecutor, indicated that the incident is being looked into as a potential terrorist act.
Olena Shevelyova, one of the witnesses, reported hearing four to five bullets. She continued, “We heard some guns firing and we were asked to go in some buildings here… to hide behind the building.”
Ambulances could be heard approaching the airport, according to Ms. Shevelyova, a 48-year-old Ukrainian executive who was waiting to join a trip to Milan.
‘It was unclear if there was a bomb or something had happened,’ she went on. ‘It was only after we went far away from the airport that we were told there is someone who is shooting.’
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, neighboring Moldova — a country with a population of about 2.6 million people, and a European Union candidate since June 2022 — has faced a long list of crises.
These include an acute winter energy crisis after Russia dramatically reduced gas supplies and recurring anti-government protests organised by a Kremlin-friendly political party against the ruling pro-Western administration.
Moldova’s leaders have also repeatedly accused Moscow of conducting campaigns to try to destabilise the country, which was a Soviet republic until 1991.