Moldova responds to Russian drone incursions with protest
Two drones entered Moldova's airspace yesterday evening, three minutes apart. This incident comes just five days after several Russian drones flew over Moldova during a Russian airstrike on Ukraine.
According to official sources, the first drone was detected by Moldova's Air Operations Department at 10:45 PM, heading toward Taraclia – Petrovca. Three minutes later, at 10:48 PM, the second drone was identified near Burlăceni – Vinogradovca.
Authorities updated the public at 11:30 PM, confirming that both drones had left Moldova’s airspace— the first at 10:54 PM, heading toward Etulia, and the second at 11:20 PM, moving toward Ceadîr-Lunga.
The government announced that, according to Ukrainian authorities, a new large-scale drone attack by Russia is underway in the Odessa region. According to the Ukrainian outlet Unian, citing the Ukrainian Air Force, air alerts have been issued in multiple regions of the country. Drone attacks using "Shahed" drones have been reported in the Sumî, Poltava, Kirovograd, Chernigov, and Kyiv regions.
“The situation is being closely monitored by all relevant services in Moldova,” said Chișinău.
It’s worth noting that this is not the first time Russian drones have violated Moldova’s airspace. The last incident took place on the night of February 12-13, when several drones violated Moldova’s territory during a Russian attack on Ukraine.
Consequently, Russia’s ambassador to Chișinău, Oleg Ozerov, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was presented with a note of protest. During the meeting, Chișinău authorities strongly condemned the violation of Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, presenting fragments of the fallen drones as concrete evidence of the incident.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the unilateral denunciation of the Moldova-Russia Cultural Centers Agreement, signed in 1998, meaning the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Chișinău will cease operations after completing the legal procedures.
The Russian-appointed ambassador refused to accept Moscow’s responsibility and argued that it was premature to draw conclusions about the drones' origin.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
