Moldova’s president pushes for development of interceptor drones
By Alexander Tanas
CHISINAU, June 7 (Reuters) – Moldovan President Maia Sandu said the war in neighboring Ukraine showed her country was in dire need of high-tech “interceptor drones” and that new legislation was needed to facilitate their production.
Moldova, which aims to become a member of the European Union by 2030, has faced numerous incidents involving Russian drones flying over its territory or landing debris in areas close to the border.
Sandu, who harshly criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, expressed his concern last month when a drone hit a residence in Galati, a Romanian city close to the border of Moldova and Ukraine, injuring two people.
In a podcast with a local blogger on Sunday, he said legislation was needed to allow Moldova, defined by its constitution as a neutral state, to develop its arms industry.
“Those who want our country to remain completely defenseless must understand that there is a risk of drones falling on us and we cannot do anything about it,” he said.
“I have asked the government to begin introducing or preparing legislative changes, especially in the context of recent events.”
He said the legislation would allow the establishment of public and private partnerships for weapons development, as well as include provisions to attract foreign investors.
Sandu said that Moldova has been consulting on unmanned aerial vehicle development with Ukraine, which has gained expertise in the fight against Russian unmanned aerial vehicles and attaches great importance to the production of interceptor aircraft, for more than four years.
“The Ukrainians are the best with drones,” he said. “We will try to secure the technology from there, to the extent of our capabilities. In order to use these technologies, we first need to establish a team of experts.”
The Moldovan army did not take any action in more than 20 incidents in which Russian drones entered its airspace or debris from drones crashed near Moldovan settlements.
(Reporting by Alexander Tanas; Writing by Ron Popeski; Editing by Paul Simao)
