Moldova displays Russian drone, summons envoy over ‘unacceptable’ crash
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Russian ambassador to Chisinau Oleg Ozerov passing a Russian-made Gerbera drone on Nov 26 after it was placed at the entrance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
PHOTO: AFP
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- Moldova displayed a Russian drone that crashed on its soil and summoned Russia's ambassador to protest airspace violations.
- The drone incident follows multiple breaches of Moldovan airspace since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- Moldova's government plans to close a Russian cultural centre, further straining already tense relations between the two countries.
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CHISINAU - Moldova on Nov 26 displayed a Russian drone that fell on its soil outside its foreign ministry as it summoned Moscow’s envoy over the crash, in an overt criticism of Russia’s war in neighbouring Ukraine.
The small ex-Soviet republic, wedged between Ukraine and NATO member Romania, has repeatedly seen violations of its airspace since Russia’s invasion of its neighbour in 2022 and has expelled dozens of diplomats and employees of the Russian embassy.
After summoning Mr Oleg Ozerov, the Russian ambassador to Chisinau, on Nov 26, Moldova’s foreign ministry placed the crashed drone in front of its headquarters.
The ministry later published a video on social media of Mr Ozerov exiting the building and passing by the drone marked with a red “Z”.
On Nov 25, the drone had fallen on a house in a village in northeastern Moldova, close to the border with Ukraine. Six drones in total had breached Moldova’s airspace, according to the government.
The foreign ministry said it had handed Mr Ozerov “a note of protest regarding the illegal overflight”, deeming it “totally unacceptable” and “a serious violation of the sovereignty” of Moldova.
Asked by local media about the crashed drone, Mr Ozerov dismissed the matter, questioning why the drone was found on a roof without destroying anything.
“Do you believe this?“, he asked, pointing to “many attempts to damage our relations with Moldova, which are already at their lowest point in history”.
Moldova’s pro-EU government announced in early November that it had approved a Bill to close a Russian cultural centre, deeming it “by no means cultural”.
The move was condemned by the Kremlin and pro-Russian opposition at home.
The Bill is awaiting final approval by Parliament, while the government plans to close the centre by summer 2026. AFP
