Russia’s ambassador summoned to Foreign Ministry

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned today Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Chisinau Oleg Ozerov in connection with the incident on the night of 13 July, when the airspace of the Republic of Moldova was illegally overflown by a drone carrying an explosive payload. The ambassador was handed a protest note from the Moldovan side regarding this serious violation of national sovereignty and the risks created for the security of citizens.

The ministry announced that it reiterates its call on the Russian Federation to avoid any actions that could endanger the security of the Republic of Moldova and to strictly respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country. On the night of 13 July, the Air Operations Service of the National Army detected, at 01:03, a Gheran-2 (Shahed-136) type drone, which is believed to have entered the airspace of the Republic of Moldova following Russian Federation air strikes on the Odesa region. The aircraft exploded near the village of Copanca, Căușeni district, and the case is being investigated by the competent authorities.

The authorities in Chisinau firmly condemned this “serious and inadmissible violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova”, stressing that such incidents represent a risk to the security of citizens and to regional stability.

Oleg Ozerov chose to speak to the press and noted that he had requested information about this aircraft from the responsible institutions. He said he had several questions regarding the incident in Copanca, including why the payload did not explode and why the local population did not hear the sounds of the aircraft. The ambassador added that “this time, no fragments of the aircraft were presented to him”.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the airspace of the Republic of Moldova has been overflown without authorization more than 40 times. The authorities in Chisinau have repeatedly submitted protest notes to the designated ambassador of the Russian Federation, stressing that although the drones do not directly target the Republic of Moldova, their trajectories – associated with attacks on Ukraine – represent an increased risk to national security.