Ukraine (bbabo.net), - The Russian Federation does not admit that its cruise missiles have intruded into the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. Defense Minister Anatoly Nosatii stated this on Radio Moldova, noting that, on the contrary, Chisinau is required to confirm this.
The head of the defense department added that work is currently underway to amend national legislation to allow multi-year defense purchases. After that, with the support of external partners, the Republic of Moldova could acquire modern air defense systems.
“We have not received an official explanation. The Russian side has taken a defensive stance and is demanding more details from us. We have not received confirmation that the airspace of Moldova was violated, ”Nosatii said.
He clarified that the National Army has surveillance equipment, radars, so these targets were able to detect and confirm them. Under normal conditions, when the airspace is violated, the air defense forces go into a combat state and measures are taken to intercept flying targets, such as missiles or aircraft that violate the national space of the state.
“As for the means of interception, then in this section things are worse for us, because we do not have the opportunity to react. To intercept an air target, aircraft or missile, another missile or fighter is needed to shoot down this target, ”the minister explained.
Recall that the Ministry of Defense of Moldova stated that it observed the "transit" of three Russian cruise missiles fired from the Black Sea. On October 10, they hit critical infrastructure facilities on the territory of Ukraine. At the same time, the department admitted that the National Army does not have air defense systems capable of shooting down air targets.
Back in 2016, a batch of anti-aircraft missile weapons (S-125 Neva M1 complexes) was sold by the Moldovan authorities to an offshore company with British registration. The then Minister of Defense, Anatolie Salaru, wanted to transfer military control over the airspace of the Republic of Romania. At that time, bureaucratic difficulties and the need to coordinate such an agreement between Chisinau and Bucharest at the level of the entire NATO bloc did not allow this plan to come true. Moldova also does not have planes, which also "went under the hammer." The remaining 6 MiGs have not been serviced for more than 10 years and are unlikely to ever take off (Kyiv has long been asking them to give the APU for spare parts).
This year, the EU decided to allocate about € 40 million for the military needs of the Republic of Moldova, which will double the republic's defense budget and re-equip the armed forces, "bringing them closer to the standards" of the North Atlantic Alliance. Against this background, the authorities of the Republic of Moldova began to prepare public opinion for the need to abandon the status of neutrality.
The Minister of Defense confirmed that the draft state budget for 2023 increased the budget for national defense, but even with such an increase, the Republic of Moldova cannot afford an air defense system.
“This is a very complex and expensive system. Even with the increase that is provided for the defense area, this is a long-term purchase. To do this, we are working to harmonize the legislation on multi-year procurement. Previously, all purchases made were for a short period of time and in a very small volume. Before, there was no talk of either missiles or aircraft. In this sense, without the help of foreign partners, it will be difficult to obtain such weapons and such an opportunity, ”Anatoly Nosaty concluded.
As bbabo.net reported, at yesterday's briefing, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that from the first days of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, the Moldovan authorities turned to Western partners with a request to help strengthen the defense capability.
“We are having good discussions, when there are more concrete results, we will announce to you,” the head of state promised.
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