Moscow: Moscow on Monday denied Moldovan claims that Russian drones were in the country around the time of overnight attacks on neighboring Ukraine. ‘We categorically reject the unfounded anti-Russian attacks that, unfortunately, have become the norm in the Republic of Moldova,’ Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

According to Anadolu Agency, Zakharova stated that no evidence was presented by Moldova showing the drones were of Russian origin or were launched from Russia itself. She argued that Moscow is confident that evidence will never be presented as there is none. On Sunday, at least two people were injured in Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa region by an overnight Russian drone attack, according to local authorities.

Zakharova emphasized that Russia does not use drones over the territory of countries bordering Ukraine, adding that Moscow’s only targets are Ukrainian military facilities and their infrastructure. She further accused Kyiv of intending to “provoke Moldova to fully
join in the military actions on the side of Ukraine and the West.”

Zakharova urged Moldovan authorities to ‘abandon anti-Russian rhetoric and not succumb to such provocations.’ On Sunday, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry reported that two Russian drones were spotted in the country’s Causeni and Riscani districts, claiming it has “clear information” they were launched from Russia.

The Moldovan ministry described the incident as a serious violation and an unfriendly gesture by the Russian Federation, demanding an immediate halt to such actions and urging Moscow to respect Chisinau’s territorial integrity. Earlier the same day, Ukraine’s Air Force claimed that it downed 62 out of 145 drones launched by Russia overnight on multiple regions of the country, including the capital Kyiv. Ten of the drones launched by Moscow reportedly left Ukraine’s airspace in the direction of Moldova, Belarus – a Russian ally – and Russia itself.