Moldova plans to acquire air defense systems after Russian missiles crossed Moldovaʼs airspace on October 10 during the massive shelling of Ukraine.
This was reported at a press conference on October 18 by parliament spokesman Ihor Grosu.
"We once again realized what we should invest in our defense systems. The latest statement of the Minister of Defense indicates that Russia, unfortunately, is in no hurry to recognize this fact [violation of Moldovaʼs airspace]. It does not surprise us. This only reinforces our decision to pursue opportunities so that we can not only track missiles and aircraft that violate our airspace, but also engage systems that prevent such attempts," Grosu noted.
When asked how much money Moldova needs for the purchase of anti-aircraft systems, Grosu replied that the representatives of the Ministry of Defense should deal with the cost assessment.
Before that, the Minister of Defense of Moldova Anatoliy Nosatiy stated that Russia still did not admit that three Russian missiles violated the airspace of Moldova.
"We have not received an official explanation. Based on the discussions with colleagues from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the conversations I had with the military attache, the Russian side has taken a defensive position and is demanding more details from us instead of admitting what happened. We have not received confirmation that the airspace of Moldova was indeed violated," Nosatiy added.
- On October 10, Moldova said that three Russian cruise missiles crossed its airspace during the morning strikes on Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense stated at the time that the missiles posed a danger to Moldovaʼs infrastructure, in particular to civilian aircraft that were in the countryʼs airspace.