Russian Ambassador received protest note from foreign ministry

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented an official protest note to Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Chisinau Oleg Ozerov on 20 November. The decision by the Moldovan side was expressed in the context of the incident during the night of 19 November, when the airspace of the Republic of Moldova was illegally overflown by a drone.

The institution expressed its protest against the severe violation of national sovereignty and the risks created for citizens' security.


“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates its call to the Russian Federation to avoid any actions that could endanger the security of the Republic of Moldova and to strictly respect our country's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the institution communicated.


Oleg Ozerov emphasized that the Russian Federation does not seek confrontations with the Republic of Moldova.


“Today, I was presented with an official protest regarding the alleged overflight of the airspace of the Republic of Moldova by a drone. At present, there is no evidence that the drone was of Russian make or possible confirmations that these actions were intentional. In this context, the protest note leaves me perplexed. There is no basis for presenting such accusations to Russia,” stated Oleg Ozerov.


During the night of 19 November, the country's airspace was illegally overflown by a drone, which came from the direction of Lesnaia, Ukraine, towards the village of Săiți, Ștefan Vodă district. A mobile patrol reported detecting the sound of an unidentified flying device, resembling a drone, approximately 2,000 meters from the state border line. The device had reportedly been traveling at an altitude of up to 100 meters.

Ozerov had been previously repeatedly summoned to the ministry in the context of cases where drones, allegedly launched by Russia during attacks on Ukraine, had flown over the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. In some cases, these had fallen and exploded in uninhabited areas - near the locality of Ciumai, Taraclia district, and in a field about 1.5 kilometers away from Ceadâr-Lunga and Valea Perjei.

Furthermore, the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases said that currently, prosecutors are investigating eight criminal cases regarding the illegal overflight of the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. The cases have been initiated during 2023-2024.