The EU reacts to the overflight of Moldova's airspace by six drones: “A challenge” from Moscow
Brussels, through the spokesperson of the European Commission, reacted, stressing that “this airspace violation is another deliberate provocation by Russia” and that it is part of a series of actions that also target EU airspace.
Six drones flew over the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. PHOTO: Telegram.org/ R Moldova Police
“This airspace violation is another deliberate provocation by Russia. It is part of a wider pattern of Russian drones penetrating EU airspace, unprecedented in both scale and recklessness,” the spokesperson of the European Commission, Anouar El Anouni.
Against the background of these incidents, the European Union reiterated that it will continue to support the Republic of Moldova to improve its capabilities to combat hybrid threats.
“Our message is clear: the EU will continue to support the Republic of Moldova in strengthening its capacities. We have a very solid cooperation with Moldova, which will be further strengthened, including through the European Peace Facility, which is ongoing and has grown constantly both qualitatively and quantitatively since 2021”concluded Anouar El Anouni.
The six incidents
On November 25, the officials of the Moldovan Ministry of Defense announced that six drones illegally flew over their country's airspace, the incidents being recorded on the night of November 24 to 25. And an aircraft fell in an orchard in the north of the Republic of Moldova. It had the inscription Z. Another drone, of the Shahed type, flew over the Moldovan territory and then over the Romanian territory, stated the representatives of the Border Police from the neighboring country, emphasizing that the Romanian authorities were informed about this case.
The next day, Oleg Ozerov, Russia's ambassador-at-large in Chisinau, was urgently summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, where the Russian drone that fell a day earlier in the north of the neighboring country was exposed on the stairs.
Oleg Ozerov denied that the drone belongs to Russia, claiming that this case must be investigated, as is the case with the detection of weapons in the truck at the Moldovan-Romanian border.
The representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed him a note of protest regarding the illegal overflight of the airspace of the Republic of Moldova by six drones, qualifying these actions as absolutely inadmissible which represent a serious violation of the country's sovereignty and a direct threat to national and regional security.
Last week, the airspace of the Republic of Moldova was flown “illegally” by another drone.
The next day, November 20, the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the ambassador-at-large of the Russian Federation in Chisinau, Oleg Ozerov, the diplomat claiming that there is no evidence to confirm that the aircraft is Russian.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine until now, several pieces of missiles or drones have been found on the territory of the neighboring state.
