Sandu: Russian Drones Have Entered Moldovan Airspace 39 Times in 2026, Versus 17 in All of 2025

President Maia Sandu told reporters on September 22 that Russian drones have violated Moldovan airspace 39 times since the start of 2026, more than double the 17 incursions recorded in all of 2025, after chairing a National Security Council meeting on September 21. Sandu said three decades of underinvestment in air defense "will not be paid off in five," acknowledging Moldova has no air-defense alliance backing and can currently defend only individual critical-infrastructure sites with portable anti-aircraft weapons, machine guns and electronic-warfare equipment; Romania, by contrast, has shot down drones that crossed Moldovan territory. The Security Council also ordered stronger protection for energy infrastructure against drone threats. The European Union has committed EUR 120 million toward a medium-range air-defense system for Moldova, and the government is developing a EUR 5 million public alert system, MD-Alert, to warn residents of drone threats in real time.