Moldova’s Foreign Ministry denies it sent a diplomatic protest to Ukraine after two Ukrainian border guards entered Moldova by boat and were detained during an attempted detention on the Dniester River. On Oct. 15, the guards entered Moldova in a motorboat while trying to detain a Ukrainian man crossing the Dniester near Holosnita, on the Vinnytsia Oblast border. Moldova’s Border Police detained the officers, and prosecutors opened a criminal case over the alleged illegal crossing under Article 362 of Moldova’s Criminal Code. Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service said the man resisted detention and evaded capture. It added that low water levels and an engine failure caused the guards’ boat to drift onto the Moldovan bank. The incident sparked a diplomatic dispute after Lilian Carp, chair of Moldova’s parliamentary national security committee, said on Oct. 19 that protest notes had been sent to Ukraine’s embassy and authorities. The Foreign Ministry later denied issuing a protest note, saying the matter was handled through established channels between the two countries’ authorities. 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, and a hospital where he was staying said he is requesting asylum. Russia’s war against Ukraine has heightened security concerns in Moldova, and the same period saw four Russian drones violate Moldovan airspace on the night of Oct. 15 to 16. As of the latest update, Moldova’s prosecutors have opened criminal proceedings over the alleged illegal crossing, while Ukraine’s internal investigation into the border guards remained in progress.