site.btaPresident Sandu Says Some Drones Enter Moldovan Airspace Deliberately

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said in a televised interview on Tuesday that while some drones enter the country's airspace accidentally, others are deliberately sent there.

Speaking on the 360 Degrees programme of Moldova's public broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova, Sandu said: "I believe that some end up here accidentally, while others arrive because they were sent here - and not only into our airspace, but also into that of other countries in the region. We have seen this in Romania and Poland as well. Therefore, judging by the trajectories of the drones, we can distinguish between those that were deliberately sent and those that ended up here accidentally. In both cases, these drones violate our country's airspace. In both cases, they pose a danger to people, and the only country responsible for this is the Russian Federation, which started this war [with Ukraine]."

In the interview, also cited by Romanian media outlet Digi24, the President of Moldova said that the only effective response did not necessarily have to be diplomatic, but should instead involve providing greater support to Ukraine in its defence against Russia.

"The most important things that can be done to stop these drones - whether in the Republic of Moldova, in Ukraine or anywhere else - are to help Ukraine and ensure that it succeeds in this war. Of course, we can send notes of protest and we can send diplomats home, but unfortunately this does not change Russia's policy," Sandu said.

The President also commented on a recent report by The New York Times, which said that "Moldova is second", after Ukraine, on the Kremlin's list of targets. Sandu stressed that the report confirmed claims which Chisinau had been making for some time - that Russia was seeking to use Moldovan territory to destabilize Ukraine and the European Union.

"I don't think this is anything new. We, as well as the state institutions, have been talking about these plans by Russia. Russia interferes everywhere. We are of interest to Russia primarily because of the war in Ukraine, as it would like to strike Ukraine from our territory - from our border - while at the same time we could serve as a bridgehead towards the European Union," she said.

President Sandu noted that in recent years Moldova has significantly reduced its dependence on Russia in three key areas: trade, remittances and energy. "The country's dependence on the Russian market has fallen from more than 30% in 2010 to just 2-3% at present. In addition, remittances from Russia, which accounted for more than half of all remittances to Moldova in 2012-2014, are now negligible," she said.

According to Sandu, in recent years the country has managed to reduce and even eliminate its dependence on Russia in the energy sector. "I believe this was the most serious form of dependence, because whenever the Kremlin disapproved of events in Chisinau, it would cut off natural gas supplies and leave the country in the dark. Today, Russia can no longer blackmail us," she stressed.