Moscow rejects claims Russian drones were in Moldova around time of attack on Ukraine

ISTANBUL

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.

Saying that no evidence was presented by Moldova showing the drones were of Russian origin or were launched from Russia itself, Zakharova argued 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 said 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 went on to call on Moldovan authorities to “abandon anti-Russian rhetoric and not succumb to such provocations.”

On Sunday, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry said two Russian drones were spotted in the country’s Causeni and Riscani districts, claiming it has “clear information” they were launched from Russia.

“The violation of the airspace of the Republic of Moldova is a serious violation and an unfriendly gesture of the Russian Federation. We demand an immediate halt to their launch,” the ministry said in a statement, calling on 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 left Ukraine’s airspace in the direction of Moldova, Belarus – a Russian ally – and Russia itself, the statement added.

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