Moldovan PM and president blame Russia for drone explosion in their country

Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan and President Maia Sandu have commented on a drone explosion near the settlement of Crokmaz in Ștefan Vodă district.

Source: Newsmaker, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The prime minister commented on the fall of the drone on 9 August, thanking rescue workers and firefighters for their prompt response.

"It is good that the drone hit a tree rather than a house. The fact that we are outside the war zone does not, sadly, protect us. There were no casualties and the fire was quickly extinguished. I would like to thank our police and emergency services, who swiftly contained the blaze. We are all feeling the effects of this war. We know who the aggressor is. I condemn this war. It affects us too. All I wish is that it ends as soon as possible," Tofan stressed.

The prime minister asserted that the authorities would take the necessary measures, without specifying what it would be.

The president published her statement on social media on 10 August. "I strongly condemn the latest violation of our airspace. This is a direct consequence of Russian aggression, and it threatens us all. The risk to human lives in our region is real and growing. This must stop," she stated.

Background:

• Police in Ștefan Vodă received a report of a powerful explosion near the settlement of Crokmaz on the afternoon of 9 August. Ștefan Vodă District Council later published photographs of an object resembling a downed drone that had crashed on the outskirts of the village.
• Police specified that a UAV of this type had entered the country's territory for the first time. Law enforcement officials said the drone struck a tree and exploded at a height of 2.5 metres, causing the craft's debris to scatter over a wide area and damage nearby residential buildings.
• Law enforcement confirmed that no one had been injured in the explosion or fire. The drone exploded in a wooded area outside the settlement. The explosion caused a major fire, and debris from the craft damaged the roofs and outbuildings of several residential buildings.
• On 5 August, debris from a Russian Geran-2 drone was found near the village of Văleni in Moldova's Cahul District.
• Ukraine's State Border Guard Service warned on 9 August that traffic on a section of the Odesa-Reni road had been restricted due to the consequences of overnight Russian strikes, making it temporarily impossible to reach certain border crossing points on the border with Moldova.

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