The russian missile strikes on the infrastructure of Ukraine on October 31, 2022 were "unusual" in particular because one of the russian cruise missiles collapsed on the territory of Moldova, a country not involved in the conflict.
Until this moment there were reports that the russians were deliberately aiming their cruise missiles at the South of Ukraine with a flight over Moldovan territory. And official Chisinau is already saying that "russian generals are laying the routes for their missiles as if Moldova does not exist at all."
Read more: The russians Fired 83 Missiles and Kamikaze Drones at Civilian Objects in Ukraine on Monday
Here it is quite logical to ask the question: why does Moldova not shoot down russian missiles that fly into its territory. Moreover, the neutral status is by no means an obstacle to protect one's airspace by all available methods. It seems that the answer will be prosaic – Moldova doesn’t have any means to shoot down russian missiles or other air targets in its sky.
The Military Balance indicates that the Armed Forces of Moldova at the end of 2021 had a rather small set of air defense equipment: units of 28 ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft autocannons, 11 units of S-60 57mm anti-aircraft autocannons and only three S-125 air defense missile complexes. Even such a list looks "optimistic". Because there is a mention in open sources that Moldova could sell all three S-125 back in 2016, as part of the "optimization of outdated weapons."
Moldova also has six MiG-29 fighter jets, which, however, have not taken to the air since 1997. And in 25 years of standing on the ground, they could have turned into scrap. Chisinau has been trying to find buyers for these planes since 2010, but without success. According to some reports, Ukraine apparently wanted to purchase Moldovan MiG-29s in March 2022 as "donors of spare parts". But here Moldova refused, because it wanted to "prevent the escalation of the conflict".
At the end of October 2022, the Ministry of Defense of Moldova announced that they want to purchase modern Western air defense systems to protect the skies. But at the same time, the country admitted that now they need an "air defense umbrella" by the EU or NATO, as it may take at least 3 to 7 years to independently purchase air defense systems.
Read more: SAMP/T Air Defense System For Ukraine: Why It Is the Best Option That Europe Can Deliver, Its Specifications And How It Works
