2024-02-17 13:48:49
The Moldovan authorities intend to spend billions of euros on the purchase of radars to ensure surveillance of the entire airspace of the country. This was stated at a briefing by Prime Minister Dorin Recan, commenting on the Ministry of Defense’s message that the Ground Master (GM) 200 radar purchased by the republic from France was unable to detect a drone, the wreckage of which was found in the south of the country near the border with Ukraine, Day.Az reports with link to TASS.
“At the moment we can detect some of these missiles and drones, we need to expand airspace coverage with radars, after which we will be able to move on to the next stage of airspace protection. To ensure full coverage, we need investments of several billion euros, we cannot yet this is possible, so we need to cooperate with our partners. We must achieve this goal by 2030,” Recan said. He explained that the government has launched a defense investment program. “Within our capabilities, its first phase has been launched. We would like to have a system that would allow us to detect missiles in a timely manner so that we can warn and evacuate citizens. The second phase is that we will be able to shoot down missiles and drones,” Recan explained.
Earlier, Moldovan President Maia Sandu asked Western countries to provide the republic with air defense systems, which, according to her, are necessary due to violations of the republic’s airspace during the conflict in Ukraine. In 2023, the Ministry of Defense budget was increased to 1.697 billion lei ($90 million), which is 0.55% of gross domestic product (GDP). These expenses, against the backdrop of a severe economic crisis, were sharply criticized by the opposition.
Over the past year, the Moldovan authorities have already reported four times about fragments of air defense missiles found near the Ukrainian border. According to the examination data reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic, the debris previously discovered near the villages of Naslavcha, Larga and the city of Brichani bordering Ukraine were fragments of an S-300 anti-aircraft missile, fired by the Ukrainian military. Despite this, after the discovery of fragments of one of the missiles, the Moldovan side expressed a protest to the Russian Ambassador in Chisinau Oleg Vasnetsov.
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