President of Moldova: Russian Drones and Bombs Fall and Explode in Our Villages, and We Have No Means to Defend Ourselves

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said today that Russian drones violated Moldovan airspace in the morning. The incident was also reported by the Romanian Ministry of Defence.

Two F-16 aircraft from the Romanian Air Force and, later, two Eurofighter aircraft from the Spanish Air Force, belonging to the Air Policing Service, were raised to observe and monitor the airspace. They took off from the 86th Air Base in Borcea and the 57th Air Base in Mihail Kogelnicianu, respectively.

In turn, Maia Sandu reported on social media that Moldova's airspace was violated by several Russian drones, two of which exploded on the territory of Moldova. She accompanied the post with a photo of a fragment of the destroyed drone. She stressed that this is the second such incident in recent months.

‘Something serious happened today. Two Russian drones crashed in Moldovan villages and towns - one fell on a field near Ciumai in Taraclia, and the other exploded in a field near Cedar Lunga. The territories are isolated, and there is no danger to citizens at the moment,’ the Moldovan president said.

‘The Republic of Moldova has not attacked anyone, we have not claimed any foreign territory, we have not entered into a conflict with any other state, we have neutrality in the Constitution. The Republic of Moldova promoted and did everything for peace. However, Russian drones and bombs are falling and exploding in our villages, and we must admit that we do not have the necessary capabilities to defend ourselves against them,’ she said.

Maia Sandu added that Moldova will continue to develop partnerships with European countries and modernise its National Army to fully ensure the security of its citizens. 

‘True neutrality is the ability to defend ourselves from the bombs of an aggressive state that reach our territory,’ the Moldovan president concluded. 

Earlier, in mid-October last year, the Chisinau authorities said, reporting on the missile debris found near the border with Ukraine, that this was the fifth incident since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That is, since February 2022, when the remains of missiles and other military equipment were found on the territory of Moldova. This list does not include flights of foreign missiles over the territory of Moldova.

Also on Thursday, the Romanian Ministry of Defence reported foreign drones that could have violated the country's airspace. According to Bucharest's statement, the incident occurred during a nighttime raid by Russian drones in Ukraine.

It is noted that two machines could have been on the territory of Romania. It is reported that the details of the incident will become known after a thorough inspection of the crash site of one of the drones.