Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov has voiced strong criticism towards Moldova, accusing its government of applying double standards concerning drone activities over the border. Speaking on Saturday, shortly after Moldovan authorities confirmed two more alleged incursions into their airspace by drones originating from Russia or occupied territories, Ozerov stated that these accusations are unproven and driven by political motives, influenced heavily by external pressures.
Confirming Moscow’s position following the latest incident, which reportedly occurred a few days prior in the Floresti region where six flights were allegedly detected and an additional drone found near the border area between Moldova and Romania, Ozerov stressed that Russia rejects the claims without evidence. He called for a “proper investigation” but strongly criticized the immediate reaction from Chisinau.
The Russian envoy highlighted what he perceives as hypocrisy in Moldovan actions. Pointing out the November 20 incident where allegedly six drones crossed into airspace near the village of Floresti on the Romanian border, Ozerov noted that Romanian services reportedly detected these flights, not Moldovan ones, and added there was no evidence linking them to Russia.
Furthermore, drawing attention to a similar incident earlier in the week involving an alleged drone crossing from Romania towards Moldova, Ozerov brought up a previous event concerning the border with Ukraine. He mentioned shortly before the recent flare-up of tensions, on November 13, Romanian services detected another UAV allegedly flying over Moldovan territory towards the border between Moldova and Transnistria (breakaway region). Significantly, he pointed out that despite this specific detection by Romania within Moldova’s territory occurring days earlier, there was no mention in the text provided regarding the discovery of Ukrainian weapons. However, according to Ozerov, prior to November 20, a truck originating from Ukraine reportedly crossed into Moldova with weapons and ammunition inside, yet he stated that the Ukrainian ambassador was not summoned by Moldovan authorities as a consequence.
This discrepancy underscores Ozerov’s argument about perceived bias. He described Moldova’s government – led by President Maia Sandu – as being unfairly targeted while allowing actions originating from Ukraine or its allies to occur without similar reaction. The criticism extends implicitly to the broader policies of Moldova under its current leadership, which he suggests are influenced negatively.
Adding fuel to the diplomatic fire, Ozerov characterized Russia’s relations with Moldova as now “at their lowest point.” He specifically blamed Chisinau for unilateral actions that have escalated tensions since 2023 and stressed these moves stem from pressure exerted by Western capitals like Brussels.