Russian drones are flying into Moldova not just because of errors, - Sandu
The President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has stated that Russian drones are entering the country’s airspace not only due to navigational errors, but may also be directed there deliberately.
According to Censor.NET, Sandu made these remarks during a press conference following the Coalition of the Willing summit in Kyiv on 24 August.
According to her, Moldova has recorded a significant increase this year in the number of incidents involving Russian drones violating its airspace.
Moldova is recording an increasing number of incidents
Sandu noted that one of the reasons for the breaches could be a lack of support for Ukraine in intercepting and destroying aerial targets.
At the same time, the President of Moldova stated that, in at least one instance, Chișinău has grounds to believe that Russia deliberately directed the object towards Moldova.
"We are convinced that Russia deliberately targeted Moldova, and not simply because the object came from the direction of Ukraine," said Sandu.
She also said that over the last few years, Moldova has invested in aerial surveillance capabilities. This has enabled the country to monitor the situation in its airspace more effectively.
According to Sandu, Chișinău is grateful to Ukraine for the prompt sharing of information on air threats. For its part, Moldova shares the data it receives with Romania.
Sandu called for the strengthening of joint air defence
The President of Moldova emphasised that countering such threats requires significant investment.
She expressed the hope that air defence systems would become cheaper and more efficient to operate in the future.
According to Sandu, as a small country, Moldova cannot resolve this issue on its own. Chisinau therefore intends to work together with Ukraine and Romania to establish effective systems at a lower cost.
"The more support Ukraine receives for its air defence, the better protected Moldova becomes, along with Ukraine," Sandu concluded.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the first joint military exercises by the ‘Coalition of the Willing’, led by the United Kingdom and France, would take place in October–November this year.
