Who Sparked Moldova’s “Drone Panic”?

Semyon ALBU, RTA: Our social media feeds keep filling up with amusing memes and videos about Moldovan slate supposedly capable of deflecting any threat. Meanwhile, the situation is anything but funny. It increasingly feels like our republic is being drawn into a very troubling story, turned into a tool in a geopolitical operation aimed at disrupting the peace process on Ukraine. But let’s take it step by step. In recent weeks, Moldova has once again faced numerous incidents involving alleged Russian drones. One such drone crossed Moldovan airspace on November 19. Six days later, there were immediately six (!) of these unmanned “intruders”. And the climax came when a device, identified by experts as a Russian “Gerbera”, was found on the slate roof of a house in the village of Cuhurestii de Jos. All of these incidents, however, carry a distinctly staged feel. The fact that the “drone threat” has turned into a “drone farce” is due to the clumsy local implementers. No one doubted that if PAS bungles the economy, social policy, justice, and so on, it would carry out its patrons’ orders with the same “high” level of competence. Thus, on November 19, the Ministry of Defense initially reported that no drone had been detected in Moldovan airspace. Only after the appropriate prompting from above did they finally issue a contrary statement. They even had to explain away the incident by claiming the drone went unnoticed “due to its low flight altitude”, casting the domestic armed forces in an unflattering light. After all, it turns out that the flashy, multimillion-euro French radar once again proved to be useless junk. A week later, with better coordination, our military and civilian officials, simultaneously with foreign partners, were proclaiming a massive incursion into Moldova’s airspace. To make the story more convincing, they even showcased one of the drones that supposedly landed on a rooftop. However, the execution once again fell short, and the “fallen drone” performance ended up looking like a weak provincial theater perfomance. Not only was the drone’s serial number clearly visible in the photo, allowing it to be quickly traced back to a launch in Kharkiv Oblast a week earlier, but it was also placed so neatly, with a cartoonish “Z” on its tail, that it sparked a wave of jokes and memes online. Our security forces once again had to play the clowns, explaining the mishap with claims of unprecedented Russian drone technology that supposedly allows drones to land safely after losing control, without causing any damage. So, what was all this really about? Apparently, someone urgently needed to keep fueling the somewhat slowed-down “drone hysteria” that swept across Europe this autumn. In one EU country after another, unidentified drones were regularly spotted over various important military sites, yet, by a curious coincidence, no one could be found to take responsibility for launching them. Nevertheless, the general consensus pointed unequivocally to Russia as being behind all these incidents. And why did all this start precisely in the autumn? We now know that Trump’s much‑discussed peace plan had in fact been in the works for quite some time, and both Ukraine and the European Union were aware of it. At the same time, Brussels has absolutely no interest in ending the war. European officials at various levels have openly stated that the fighting must continue. Officially, this is framed as a way to strengthen Kyiv’s negotiating position. In reality, however, the goal is to exhaust Russia and prepare themselves, that was explicitly confirmed by the head of German military intelligence. The fact that the EU is preparing for conflict is no secret either – the rearmament program worth hundreds of billions of euros is known to everyone. But national governments are not as eager to allocate money for it as Brussels would like, fearing serious domestic political fallout from replacing “butter” with “guns”. Therefore, the public needs to be more actively persuaded that a genuine military threat exists. And Russia, of course, is the perfect and most obvious candidate to play the role of such a “bogeyman”. It is evident that the United States and the EU are increasingly diverging in their views on the war in Ukraine. The Americans have realized that the trends for Kyiv are clearly negative, and it is necessary to draw a line now, while it is still possible to negotiate on more or less acceptable terms. Moreover, they have purely domestic political reasons: the midterm congressional elections are fast approaching, and entering them with the laurels of those who ended the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II would be very advantageous. The EU, for the reasons mentioned, is dissatisfied with a compromise solution to end the war and sets clearly unrealistic demands for the Kremlin, which cannot be met. Interpreting this otherwise as sabotaging peace negotiations and prolonging the conflict is simply impossible. Apparently, this time the United States is prepared to make somewhat more active efforts to achieve peace. Sanctions have already been imposed on Russia, while Kyiv is being pressured through a high-profile corruption case targeting allies of Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader seemingly did not adequately heed the initial signals, which is why today authorities came with searches to his right-hand man – the all-powerful head of the president’s office, Andriy Yermak, who only yesterday declared that Ukraine would not agree to any territorial arrangements. However, the “party of war” is also wide awake. The leak of the transcripts of Trump envoy Steve Witkoff’s negotiations was a powerful move that not only put him at risk of dismissal but also, to some extent, complicated the peace talks. After all, it now appears as if the U.S. president’s plan was drafted by Kremlin officials, which undermines its credibility as a basis for conflict resolution. Drone flights are part of the same scheme. There is a strong need to demonstrate that Moscow will not stop, that it generates a threat both to EU members and to potential candidates. Everything is done to convince the public and preferably the U.S. administration of Russia’s aggressive intentions, implying that no negotiations are needed with it at the moment. Instead, military and financial support must be ramped up for Kyiv and the regional countries as part of the strategic containment of the “aggressor”. In this context, the rapidly accelerating militarization of our country is no longer surprising. Where, as acknowledged by the Ministry of Defense, 70% of the military budget comes from Brussels. Where modern long-range howitzers, suddenly appearing from nowhere, are brought out of storage for military exercises. Where aircraft quietly fly at low altitudes to Marculesti airport carrying unidentified cargo, amid heightened suspicious activity. Where the prime minister of a constitutionally neutral country zealously speaks about its readiness to participate in the so-called “military Schengen” for rapid deployment of personnel and equipment to the eastern flank of the European Union. All of this is part of a single puzzle, meticulously assembled by those who have no interest in “stabilizing” our regional space or the continent as a whole for many years to come.