Moldova summoned Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov on Wednesday over the latest of several airspace violations by Russian drones – displaying the remnants of the drone outside the Foreign Ministry for Ozerov to walk past as he exited the building.
The drone was one of six that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday. It fell on a house in a village in Moldova’s northeastern Florești district, near the border with Ukraine. According to Moldovan authorities, it was a Gerbera drone – manufactured by Russia.
Posting on X, Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi said that the ministry had given Ozerov a note protesting the incident.
“Such actions gravely breach our sovereignty and endanger national and regional security. We demanded steps to prevent any recurrence,” he added.
The ministry also posted a video of Ozerov walking past the drone – sprayed with a red “Z,” the pro-war symbol used by Russian forces in Ukraine – on the steps of the building.
According to local news outlet TV8 știrile, protesters picketed the Russian embassy overnight Tuesday, demanding that Ozerov be expelled from Moldova over the repeated airspace violations.
Ozerov responded to the furore by denying that the Russian drone violation had taken place, describing it as one of “many attempts to damage our relations with Moldova, which are already at their lowest point in history,” as per AFP.
“There is no drone, there is no convincing evidence that this drone is of Russian production, its route is not known. There are no photo and video materials to prove that it flew over the territory of the Republic of Moldova,” he told journalists as he exited the building.
According to local (and Russian state) media, pro-Russian opposition leader Igor Dodon – whose Patriotic Bloc failed to secure a majority in recent parliamentary elections rocked by allegations of Russian interference – claimed that the ruling pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) had fabricated the incident.
“You’ve seen how PAS is trying to cover up the scandals lately. Today it delicately placed a drone on the roof of a house,” Dodon told a press conference.
“I believe that, with regret, the war in Ukraine – which we condemn, we have always said that we are against the war – is being used by the current government to cover up its internal problems.”
Dodon also used the opportunity to repeat a narrative currently swirling in Russia’s state media – that Europe is sabotaging peace by objecting to the original terms of the US-drafted 28-point plan to end Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.
“I saw the statement of Mrs. [President] Maia Sandu, these days, that she joins the position of those in Brussels. Those in Brussels criticize [US President Donald] Trump’s peace plan, which, in my opinion, is a mistake. We must advocate for the war to end as quickly as possible. I believe that the current government would like the war to continue,” he said.
Also on Wednesday, a senior Russian diplomat said that Moscow will accept “no question of any concessions” on the original terms of the plan, which would see Ukraine forswear NATO membership, cede its occupied territories, and limit the size of its armed forces.