Igor Grosu calls for defense investments after Copanca drone incident
A drone that fell on the night of July 13 in Copanca, Causeni district, nearly exploded, which could have caused serious damage. This was stated by the Speaker of the Parliament, Igor Grosu, during the show "I and the EU" on Moldova 1. According to Grosu, it is essential to summon the accredited ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following such incidents, even if this may not be the most efficient approach.
On national television, Igor Grosu mentioned, "Only a coincidence prevented the explosion from occurring when the drone fell. It's fortunate that our sappers intervened in time. We have professional sappers who carefully extracted, deactivated, and destroyed that explosive device. God forbid that a drone like this, launched by a deranged individual, causes serious damage. Somehow, God has protected us up to now."
The Parliament Speaker emphasized the importance of continued investment in air defense for the Republic of Moldova, cautioning that making jokes about strengthening defense capabilities undermines the country's security.
"We must continue to invest in our defense system. Whether we like it or not, this is our reality, especially for a country with the longest border with Ukraine. We shouldn’t take defense or the army lightly, as it does a disservice to our nation," the official added.
When asked whether repeatedly summoning the unpopular Russian ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is enough as a diplomatic measure, Grosu acknowledged that it is not effective on its own but is still necessary to send a clear message to the Russian Federation.
"No single instrument is sufficient by itself. It must be called in every time. They need to know that the state has a stance and is addressing the situation regarding the drone; otherwise, we create precedents. Why is Russia doing this now and not just in relation to the Republic of Moldova? From the north, with the Baltic countries, to the south, with Romania and Bulgaria, we see incidents in which drones accidentally cross airspace or military planes briefly fly over. This is a tactic of the Russian Federation to test how far it can go and provoke us," Grosu declared.
The leader of the Action and Solidarity Party also emphasised that the Republic of Moldova must align with the European sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation, as part of its commitments during the EU accession process.
"If we want to become a member of the European Union and be part of this community, we must align ourselves with the sanctions applied to the Russian Federation. This is crucial to discourage the economy that is currently fueling the war and to prevent our system from being used to circumvent these sanctions," concluded Igor Grosu.
On the night of July 13, a Russian drone crashed in the village of Copanca, Căușeni district, during airstrikes launched by the Russian Federation on the Odessa region in Ukraine. According to authorities, the drone crossed the airspace of the Republic of Moldova before crashing on the outskirts of the village, about 50 meters from a house.
Specialists from the "Codru" Engineering Battalion of the National Army determined that the drone weighed more than 240 kilograms and was equipped with an explosive charge weighing approximately 40 kilograms.
Acting Minister of Defense Anatolie Nosatîi stated on July 15 that the aircraft could not be detected by airspace monitoring radars because it was flying at a low altitude, and the terrain in the area made monitoring difficult.
