Moldova will increase defence spending and deepen cooperation with neighbouring countries to counter violations of its airspace by Russian drones. Since the beginning of 2026, 39 such incidents have already been recorded, compared with 17 drone incursions last year.
President Maia Sandu announced this following a meeting of Moldova’s National Security Council.
According to Sandu, Chisinau needs to accelerate the development of its own airspace protection capabilities and attract funding from international partners.
“Thirty years of neglecting air defence cannot be compensated for in five years. We are working with our partners to accelerate this process,” Sandu said.
She said the Moldovan military currently has man-portable air defence systems, anti-aircraft machine guns and electronic warfare equipment. However, their capabilities are largely limited to protecting individual critical infrastructure facilities.
The Moldovan military is now working to extend the range of the country’s air defence capabilities. In particular, Moldova has received €120 million from the European Union to purchase a medium-range air defence system.
Sandu said Moldova is also deepening cooperation with countries in the region to enable faster exchange of information on potential threats. At the same time, the government and its international partners are looking for more advanced and less expensive ways of countering drones.
Moldova is also working to improve its ability to rapidly alert the population in the event of a threat. According to Sandu, until the MD-Alert system is launched, the government will use existing mechanisms to notify citizens.
The implementation of MD-Alert will require additional time, with the project estimated to cost €5 million.
