Moldova condemns Russian drone incursions at OSCE forum
Moldova condemned repeated violations of its sovereign airspace by drones at the OSCE on Wednesday, urging the Russian Federation to halt actions destabilising regional security and endangering civil aviation.
Addressing the 1,145th plenary meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation, Victoria Roșa, Moldova's Permanent Representative to the OSCE, highlighted a string of recent intrusions recorded on September 8, 12, and 14. She noted that their frequency and cross-border flight paths pose severe hazards to civilians and commercial flights.
“The incident on September 8, when the same drone successively traversed the airspace of both the Republic of Moldova and Romania, was cited as clear evidence of the transboundary nature of these threats,” said Roșa.
The Moldovan delegation reaffirmed the necessity of safeguarding state sovereignty, protecting civilian populations, and ending Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
Persistent incursions along the Ukrainian border
The diplomatic protest coincided with yet another illegal airspace breach on Thursday morning, September 17, during extensive Russian bombardments across southern Ukraine's Odessa region.
According to the Ministry of Defense, a drone entered Moldovan airspace at 08:56 from Biliaivka, Ukraine, heading toward the border village of Tudora. The aircraft exited Moldovan airspace two minutes later at 08:58 near Palanca, heading toward Lake Davidove Liman in Ukraine.
Earlier, on September 14, two drones breached Moldovan skies near Palanca in the Ștefan Vodă district and over Cioburciu and Pervomaisc on the left bank of the Dniester. Another incursion on September 12 prompted civil aviation authorities to temporarily close airspace across northern and central Moldova before the craft crashed in Romania's Suceava County.
Over 70 aerial violations recorded since 2022
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, military authorities in Chișinău have logged more than 70 unauthorized overflights by Russian missiles and drones. Several devices have crashed and detonated on Moldovan territory, inflicting material damage.
Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatîi warned that escalating aerial spillover poses an imminent threat to human life across border communities.
“We cannot rule out the risk of lethal casualties in the coming period. As long as the war continues, and the Russian Federation attacks civilian targets indiscriminately in Ukraine, these effects can spill over into neighbouring countries,” said Nosatîi. “We must invest in our warning and defence systems.”
To modernise its air surveillance and interception capabilities, Moldova is set to receive €120 million (approx. 2.41 billion MDL) in security assistance from the European Union to procure a medium-range air defence system.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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