Russia's Drone War Comes to Moldova and Romania

Russia's drone war has now reached Moldova and Romania, two countries neighboring Ukraine. Drone incidents in these nations have become increasingly common, with many attacks causing injuries and border checkpoint assaults. The latest incident occurred on Tuesday, when a Russian Geran drone crashed in a Moldovan sunflower field, preventing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plane from taking off. Two Romanian fighter jets were scrambled, although they did not shoot down the drone.

Moldova's air defense capabilities are limited, and the country has only a small number of anti-aircraft missiles. Since August, there have been around 30 drone incidents in Romania and Moldova, with 17 crashes in Moldova alone. A drone strike on the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova on September 8 resulted in two deaths and two injuries. Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her parliament have strongly condemned the attacks, emphasizing that Russia's war has arrived at their borders.

Some experts believe these incidents are deliberate acts by Russia, aiming to test NATO defenses and regional connectivity. The US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that Russia benefits from such actions by testing NATO and Moldovan defenses. Moldova's Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatii warned that more civilian deaths could occur in the future. The Romanian government has not yet commented on the latest incidents but has previously shot down drones in Romanian airspace.