Moldova intends to break down the drones and rockets that enter the air space. The Chisinau authorities give up the “to do anything” option
A Russian soldier launches, from an undisclosed location, a “Molniya-2” FPV drone to fly to Ukrainian positions. Photo taken from a video distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry, February 4, 2025. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service / AP / Profimedia
The Republic of Moldova will have a new law on the security of the national airspace, the Chisinau authorities announced on Monday, arguing that the current legislation does not cover the emerging risks and new technologies, such as the use of unmanned and military unmanned flights, the portal opens.
The project elaborated by the Ministry of Moldovan Defense mentions that, at present, the Republic of Moldova is facing a series of challenges related to the management and protection of the air space.
“In the dynamic geopolitical context and rapid technological evolutions, especially in the field of unanswered aircraft and rockets, the protection of the Air Space of the Republic of Moldova, the aeronautical safety, life and health of people and heritage becomes an absolute priority,” the ministry says.
Moldova wants to secure its air space
In this context, the Chisinau authorities emphasize that the current legislation does not specify the complete regulations and the procedures for interception and discouragement of unauthorized aircraft, and the authorities to respond promptly and efficiently to such threats is limited.
The new law provides for the introduction of new notions, such as air aggression, aerial threat, military threat, kinetic measures and non-cinetic measures, air security measures, trailing ammunition, ballistic missile, cruise missile.
The document also refers to the way of action against pilot aircraft that use the national airspace unauthorized. Regarding the actions against unmanned appliances, which use the national air space unauthorized, the document provides for the possibility of applying measures adapted according to the aircraft category and the level of risks or threats to the air security. These include the possibility to neutralize or destroy, depending on the level of threat.
Regarding the ballistic missiles or the cruise missiles entering the national airspace, they can be intercepted and destroyed on the trajectory, the means of air defense, including the air defense with the ground base, according to the cited law.
In case of armed aggression against the Republic of Moldova, when declaring the state of siege or war, the flight of any civil or state aircraft without the special authorization issued by the Ministry of Defense is forbidden.
In justifying the adoption of the new draft law, the Ministry of Moldovan Defense emphasizes that the option to “do nothing” or the lack of intervention will contribute to perpetuating the difficulties in preventing and counteracting the risks and threats to the national security, the integrity of the air space of the Republic of Moldova, the aeronautical security, the life and the health of the Republic.
What the law in Romania stipulates
A similar change in legislation also adopted Romania, so that the legislative framework allows the army to destroy the rockets or drones entering the Romanian airspace. The new laws of defense were promulgated on May 19 by Ilie Bolojan, then interim president of Romania, after the CCR rejected a notification of unconstitutionality filed by the SOS, can also gold.
The legislation stipulates that against the aircraft with pilot on board which uses the following measures: the following measures can be used unauthorized:
– establishing the position of the aircraft, the radio connection and its identity,
– transmitting from the ground the information and provisions to the pilot of the aircraft, in order to use the national air space authorized,
– The interception of the aircraft that continued to use the national air space of Romania unauthorized,
– Execution of the warning fire by the intercepting aircraft,
– execution of the destruction fire by the interception aircraft,
– the execution of the destruction fire by the means of air defense with the surface base.
The aircraft unprepared which illegally passes the state border of Romania and flies into the national air space without authorization can be destroyed, neutralized or its flight can be taken under control.
The measures are taken with adequate means, in relation to the level of threat, within the limits of the applicable international law, after all the specific circumstances of the event have been taken into account and taking into account the priority of protecting the lives of the people, the last possible solution being the destruction of the unmanned aircraft on board which uses the national airspace.
