The Ministry of Defense of Moldova reported this Monday about the incursion of a drone that would have violated its airspace and ended up crashing in the district of Stefan Voda, in the southeast of the country and near the border with Ukraine, causing a small fire.
"The airspace surveillance systems of the Army detected, at 17:37, the entry of an aerial object into the airspace of Moldova, heading towards Cuciurgan-Tiraspol. According to preliminary data, the object disappeared from the surveillance systems in the region of Talmaza, district of Stefan Voda," it indicated in a brief statement.
In parallel, the emergency situations center of the Ministry of Interior has pointed out that an explosion followed by a fire occurred in the area about three kilometers from the town of Talmaza, although without causing casualties or injuries.
"Specialized teams have been dispatched to the scene to document the situation and clarify the circumstances of the incident. The responsible subdivisions within the Army maintain cooperation with the competent institutions and monitor the situation to ensure the safety of the airspace and the citizens of Moldova," it concluded.
The president of the country, Maia Sandu, has warned that the presence of drones in Moldovan skies poses a direct threat to the population and has held Russia accountable — the country that started the war against Ukraine — during an interview granted to the broadcaster Radio Moldova.
"The most important measures we can take to stop these drones, both in the Republic of Moldova and in Ukraine, consist of helping Kiev to succeed in this war and ensuring that Russia cannot continue fighting," she argued.
To illustrate the danger, Sandu referred to the use of Russian drones in Ukraine "hunting" civilians in their daily routines. "We have seen the case of the man who was trying to sell vegetables on the street and was chased by a Russian drone. The risks are clearly very high, and this underscores the need to invest in the protection of our citizens," she said.