CHISINAU, June 8 (Reuters) – A drone crossed into Moldova early on Monday and its fragments with traces of an explosion were found in a field near the eastern village of Lopatna, not far from Ukraine’s border, Moldova’s defence ministry said.
Moldova’s surveillance systems detected the drone crossing into the country at 12.20 a.m. local time (2120 GMT) on Monday from the direction of the Mihailovca-Lopatna locality, the ministry said.
“It was confirmed that fragments from an unmanned aerial vehicle were found on an agricultural field near the Lopatna locality,” the ministry said in a statement.
Traces at the scene indicated “the previous occurrence of an explosion,” it added.
The ministry noted a Russian overnight attack in neighbouring Ukraine and said the drone fragments were being examined to establish their origin as well as the circumstances of the incident.
“What happened underscores the risks and consequences that the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine poses to regional security and neighbouring states,” Moldova’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Moldova has dealt with numerous incidents of Russian drones flying over its territory or debris landing in areas near the border.
President Maia Sandu said on Sunday the war in Ukraine showed that her country badly needed high-technology interceptor drones and new legislation was required to facilitate their manufacture.
(Reporting by Alexander Tanas, writing by Anna Pruchnicka; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
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