VIDEO / PHOTO // Gerbera drone, crashed in Floresti district, displayed outside Moldova's Foreign Affairs Ministry; Agreed Russian ambassador receives another protest note

The Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) today presented an official protest note to the agreed ambassador of the Russian Federation to Moldova, Oleg Ozerov. The Moldovan side's decision is expressed in the context of the incident occurred on the morning of November 25, when the airspace of Moldova was illegally overflown by six drones, one of which crashed in the northern Floresti district.

The Russian-made Gerbera drone, which fell on the roof of a house in the Floresti district, was displayed outside the MAE’s building, before the diplomat’s arrival.  Thus, the MAE described the actions as absolutely unacceptable, highlighting that they represent a serious violation of Moldova's sovereignty and a direct threat to national and regional security.

‘’We reiterated the call to the Russian Federation to avoid any actions that endanger our country's security and to strictly respect international norms, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova,’’ the institution said.

At the same time, the MAE asked the Russian Embassy to undertake the necessary measures to prevent the repetition of similar incidents.

For his part, the approved Russian ambassador to Moldova, Oleg Ozerov, presented more pictures questioning the validity of the case from the Floresti district and requested an investigation to determine the exact origin of the flying object.

'Today, I was presented with an official protest, in the context of the incident in the Floresti district. Indeed, it is a Gerbera-type drone, but the technical characteristics indicate that it cannot fly more than 300 km. Such cases need to be investigated by specialists. We should not draw hasty conclusions. We rely on constructive discussions and good relations with Moldova,’’ said Oleg Ozerov.





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The airspace monitoring systems of the National Army detected six drones illegally crossing the territory of Moldova on the morning of November 25, in the context of massive attacks on Ukraine. Consequently, a Gerbera drone, marked with 'Z', crashed in an orchard in the village of Cuhurestii de Jos, Floresti district, on the roof of the guard's house.

According to the General Inspectorate of Police, 'Gerbera' type devices can be used for deception, surveillance missions and information gathering, as well as for transporting explosives. Thus, the estimated characteristics of the drone indicate a weight of up to 18 kg and a flight distance of approximately 600 km. Drones are meant to land themselves when they run out of power, avoiding crashes and protecting people on the ground, while jamming technology is designed to help prevent accidents.

The approved Russian ambassador to Chișinău, Oleg Ozerov, has been repeatedly summoned to the MAE, in the context of cases in which drones, allegedly launched by Russia during attacks on Ukraine, flew over Moldova's airspace. In some cases, they fell and exploded in uninhabited areas - near the locality of Ciumai, Taraclia district, and on a field about 1.5 kilometers from the city of Ceadar-Lunga and Valea Perjei.

The Prosecutor's Office for Combating Crime and Special Cases told MOLDPRES that prosecutors were currently investigating eight criminal cases on the illegal overflight of Moldova's airspace. The files were initiated during the 2023-2024 period.

Contacted by MOLDPRES, the Ministry of Defense said that, starting from 2022, 44 cases of unauthorized overflights of Moldova's airspace had been recorded.