Deputy Prime Minister describes Oleg Ozerov's approach to illegal airspace overflights as 'cynical'

Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popșoi described the approach of Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Chișinău Oleg Ozerov as 'cynical' regarding the illegal overflights of Moldova's airspace by Russian drones. The official emphasized that 'these actions are a fact confirmed by Ukrainian and Romanian authorities.'

At TV8 show, Popșoi noted that the overflight of the national airspace occurred during a massive attack by the Russian Federation on Ukraine.


'We must acknowledge that it is a cynical approach, which does not surprise us, unfortunately. You can't pretend that nothing is happening in Ukraine. At exactly that time, there were attacks by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. This is not an assumption; it is a fact. The same thing applies to the crossing of our airspace by this drone - a fact confirmed by Ukrainian and Romanian authorities. The crossing was registered on neighboring countries' radars. In our case, it was not detected because it was flying too low. He pretends not to understand whose drones and missiles destroy and annihilate hundreds and thousands of human lives daily. Recently, there was a massive attack on Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure. A country of tens of millions of people is suffering, and the entire region is suffering,’ declared Mihai Popșoi.


The official called the justification by the approved ambassador of the Russian Federation, that 'the drone would not be of Russian origin' or the request for evidence to 'confirm airspace overflight,' unjustified.


'He has forgotten the previous experience when he was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was presented with evidence of the Geran-2 drone, which not only overflew the airspace. At that time, it was not a drone without explosives; it was a dangerous one that crashed near our citizens' homes in the south of the country. At that time, he could not ask for evidence because they were as clear as possible,' Mihai Popșoi emphasized.


The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today presented Ozerov with an official protest note in the context of the incident on the night of November 19, when the airspace of the Republic of Moldova was illegally overflown by a drone. Oleg Ozerov insisted that 'there is no evidence that the drone was Russian.'

In this context, the ministry reiterated the call to the Russian Federation 'to avoid any actions that could jeopardize the security of the Republic of Moldova and to strictly respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country.'

Ozerov was previously repeatedly summoned to the ministry in the context of cases where drones allegedly launched by Russia during attacks on Ukraine overflew the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. In some cases, they crashed and exploded in uninhabited areas - near the village of Ciumai, Taraclia district, and in a field about 1.5 kilometers from the town of Ceadâr-Lunga and Valea Perjei.

Moreover, the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Crime and Special Cases communicated that prosecutors are currently investigating eight criminal cases regarding the illegal overflight of the Republic of Moldova's airspace. The files have been initiated in the period 2023-2024.

The Ministry of Defense said that since 2022, there have been 38 cases of unauthorized overflight of Moldova's airspace.