A downed Russian missile fell in Moldova

For the first time during the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia has caused destruction in a third country. In Moldova, a Russian missile fell in the village of Naslavca, Ocniţa district in the north of the country, the Moldovian Interior Ministry reported. 

This is the first time a Russian missile fell on the territory of a country that is not involved in the war since Moscow launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier, the Moldovan authorities acknowledged that Russia was launching missiles over its territory to hit targets in Ukraine. 

The ministry added that the missile was shot down by the Ukrainian air defense system, and the debris fell on the territory of Moldova, which borders Ukraine. 

The Moldovan Interior Ministry said that police cordoned off the area where the missile fell to avoid possible dangers. 

The ministry’s statement, quoted by the media, said that radar stations did not detect the missile fragments due to their size. 

On October 31 in the morning Russia shelled the territory of Ukraine. As a result of hitting energy facilities in many regions of Ukraine, people were left without electricity and water. 

Ukraine has already responded to the incident with the Russian missile in Moldova.  Thus, the spokesman of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleg Nikolenko said that Ukraine repeatedly reminds: Russia is waging war not only against Ukraine, but also against Europe. 

“Missile attacks that Russia launches on Ukrainian cities from the Black Sea, Belarus, Russia or the Caspian Sea pose a direct threat to the security of neighboring countries,” he wrote on Facebook. 

Nikolenko added that this is why it is critically important for Ukraine to receive modern air defense systems that will save lives and protect critical infrastructure as soon as possible. 

Missiles over Moldova

Russian missiles have already violated the airspace of Moldova. For the first time it happened on October 10 – the day of mass attacks on Kyiv in particular. 

After the incident, Moldovan President Maia Sandu called on Russia to respect the territorial integrity of her country. 

The Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilitsa called such actions of Russia a violation of Moldova’s sovereignty, which contradicts international law. 

The Russian Ambassador to Moldova was then handed a note of protest. 

However, official Chisinau did not dare to take any other actions, except for statements.