After a massive drone attack on the Ukrainian port of Reni on the night of February 12-13, Moldovan Border Police patrols recorded several UAVs crossing the country's airspace. One of the devices fell on agricultural land near the village of Chumai in the Taraclia district.
The border police clarified that no one was injured as a result of the subsequent explosion. Now the scene is cordoned off, special services are studying the wreckage of the device. Another drone exploded in a field 1.5 kilometers from Chadyr-Lungi.
"Currently, experts from the technical and explosive department of the police are at both locations and are conducting investigations. In the future, drones will be studied in more detail. According to the preliminary investigation, the fragments found in Chadyr-Lunga belong to a Russian drone," the General Inspectorate of Police said.
After the attack, recorded at 23:05 local time (24:05 Moscow time) by the employees of the Border Police Sector (SPP) "Cismicioi", the work of the Reni-Giurgiulesti checkpoint was suspended, and the staff was evacuated to Giurgiulesti. At that time, several explosions were observed on the territory of Ukraine. At 00:59 (01:50 Moscow time), the air alert was canceled, and the work of the checkpoint resumed.
Recall, Moldova's air defense does not have the means to detect and destroy UAVs. The French Ground Master 200 detection system acquired by the RM Ministry of Defense in 2024 has demonstrated its inefficiency. It turned out that the expensive radar could not "see" drones and some other types of aerial targets. The second radar capable of detecting drones will arrive in the Republic of Moldova no earlier than the first half of next year. The defense Ministry hopes that it will significantly improve the process of monitoring airspace and strengthen the country's defense capability. Its acquisition is financed by Moldova's partners from the EU.
As reported by EADaily, earlier the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Moldova Anatoly Nosaty stated that in order to ensure full monitoring and protection of the skies over the Republic, it is necessary to add five more air defense systems, including not only surveillance equipment, but also the destruction of air targets.