Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi has described as “cynical” the reaction of Russia’s designated ambassador, Oleg Ozerov, after the latter questioned why he was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the recent drone incident in Moldova’s airspace.
Speaking on TV8’s “Cutia Neagră” (“Black Box”) program, Popsoi said the Russian diplomat’s comments were disingenuous and ignored Russia’s ongoing attacks against Ukraine.
“Ozerov asks why he was summoned and not the Ambassador of Ukraine, since the drone came from there. He pretends not to know—or not to understand—whose drones and missiles destroy daily, taking hundreds and thousands of human lives,” the minister stated.
Popsoi stressed that Russia continues to launch massive strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, and said that Ozerov’s attempt to cast doubt on the drone’s origin was nothing new.
“This excuse—that it wasn’t a Russian drone or that there is no evidence—overlooks previous cases when he was summoned and shown proof of similar overflights,” he added.
The incident took place during the night of November 19–20 amid a new wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine. The Border Police reported that Moldova’s airspace had been crossed by an unidentified aircraft resembling a drone—information later confirmed by the Ministry of Defense, which said the aircraft’s very low altitude prevented radar detection.
Following the incident, the MFA summoned Russia’s designated ambassador to provide explanations.
After the meeting, Ozerov claimed there was no evidence that a drone had entered Moldovan airspace and suggested that the Ukrainian ambassador should have been summoned instead. “We wonder why the Russian ambassador was invited and not the Ukrainian one, since the drone came from Ukrainian territory… There isn’t even a drone. There was only a buzzing sound,” he told reporters in Chisinau.