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Moldovan police investigate drone that resident thought was a 'toy' and took home
2025-12-03 23:24:44 / BOTA
Europe is on high alert after drone flights in NATO airspace reached an unprecedented level in September, prompting leaders to agree to build a "drone wall" to better intercept drones that violate European airspace.
Police in Moldova sent bomb disposal experts to a community miles from the Ukrainian border on Wednesday after a resident mistook a drone sitting on the ground for "a toy" and took it home.
When police arrived in Pepeni in the Sîngerei district, about 100 kilometers north of the capital Chisinau, they discovered that the drone found four days earlier had already been stripped of its parts.
Police were notified by the mayor of Pepen. Video footage posted by the municipality on social media showed the drone atop a trailer attached to a small tractor commonly used in rural settlements.
"A citizen thought it was a toy... and brought it to the Pepeni locality," Mayor Oleg Cernei says in the video. "As soon as it appeared within the municipal borders, I identified the person and informed the state institutions."
Police said the drone did not contain explosives and posed no danger, and urged the public to "not touch or attempt to transport downed drones or similar objects."
Authorities did not say where the drone came from. They said it was a Gerbera-type drone typically used for improvised attacks or surveillance. Russia has used such drones in Ukraine before.
The incident is the latest in a series of airspace violations and drone sightings over Moldovan territory since Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Last week, Moldovan airspace was violated several times by drones during Russian attacks on Ukraine.
And in February, two drones exploded over Moldova after an attack on a Ukrainian port across the border.
Europe as a whole is on high alert after drone flights in NATO airspace reached an unprecedented level in September, prompting European leaders to agree to develop a "drone wall" along their borders to better detect, track and intercept drones that violate Europe's airspace.
In November, NATO military officials said a new American anti-drone system had been deployed on the alliance's eastern flank.
And after a violation of Polish airspace, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the formation of the Eastern Sentry program, which aims to deter further Russian interference.
Some European officials described the incidents as a test of NATO's response to Moscow, which raised questions about how prepared the alliance is against potential threats from Russia.
The Kremlin has dismissed accusations that Russia is behind several unidentified drone flights in Europe, calling them "baseless".
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