Moldova does not rule out expelling Russia’s Ambassador after drone incidents; Moldovan parliament speaker says everything possible

Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu has not ruled out the possibility that the Moldovan authorities might take additional measures regarding the ambassador-designate of the Russian Federation, Oleg Ozerov, following incidents involving drones that violated the airspace of Moldova. Asked whether the Russian diplomat could also be expelled, Grosu replied that “anything is possible.”

“We will take other measures when we take them,” Igor Grosu said when asked about possible actions following Oleg Ozerov’s summons to the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE).

The ambassador-designate of the Russian Federation was summoned to the MAE  on October 1, after three drones had violated the airspace of Moldova on September 30. Two of them fell and exploded on the country’s territory. The Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned the incidents and called on the Russian Federation to cease any actions that endanger Moldova.

Oleg Ozerov denied that the drones were of Russian origin, noting that he had not been presented with evidence confirming this. Referring to the Russian diplomat’s statements, Igor Grosu said that the ambassador-designate had previously allegedly admitted that the drones could belong to the Russian Federation.

“He already let slip an expression once admitting that the little birds—the drones, ed.—could be theirs. He forgot to apologize; that is particularly ugly and reeks of rotten and brazen imperialism,” Grosu said.

The parliament speaker also drew attention to the risk to citizens amid the repeated drone incidents.

“The danger is increasing; we must tell people this, urge them to closely follow official statements and continue finding solutions for interception. We are doing relatively better on monitoring; the second problem is interception and our ability to intercept in such a way that we do not create problems on the ground for citizens,” Igor Grosu added.

Igor Grosu emphasized that the authorities had announced they were working to strengthen their capabilities to monitor and intercept airborne objects that enter the airspace of Moldova without authorization.