Moldova is facing increased pressure from Russia as Moscow's strikes on Ukrainian border infrastructure near its territory threaten Ukraine's economy and access to European markets, according to Stanislav Secrieru, national security advisor to Moldova's President Maia Sandu.
Secrieru told Fox News Digital that Russia began targeting Ukraine's border infrastructure along the Moldovan frontier in August. With Black Sea ports under sustained attack, Moldova has become a critical transit route for Ukrainian grain exports to Romania's ports. The Moldovan government has halved rail transit tariffs to facilitate this flow.
"Russia's strikes are meant to sever them," Secrieru stated. He added that Russia has also increased violations of Moldova's airspace since August, an effort he described as an attempt to intimidate Moldova into withdrawing its support for Ukraine. Moldova, however, intends to "stay the course" and continue providing civilian support to Ukraine.
President Maia Sandu reported that five Russian drones violated Moldovan airspace just hours before the country's independence celebrations, an act she characterized as an attempt at "intimidation." Moldova's foreign ministry posted on X that "another Russian attack on Ukraine has once again resulted in violations of Moldova’s airspace."
Secrieru reported that August saw 17 instances of Russian airspace violations over Moldova, the highest monthly total since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. During these incursions, at least one Russian drone crashed in Moldova's Floresti district on November 25, 2025.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited his Moldovan counterpart in Chisinau for Independence Day celebrations, highlighting the shared struggle against Russia. "Russia is doing a lot to ruin our lives in Ukraine, to ruin your lives in Moldova, and to make it as difficult as possible for Romania. This is the ‘Russian world.’ It spoils. It destroys. But we will win," Zelenskyy said.
Both Moldova and Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after Russia's 2022 invasion. Russia's actions in Ukraine and destabilization efforts in Moldova complicate their paths toward EU membership, a key goal for both nations and a move Moscow seeks to hinder.
Experts suggest Russia's actions are part of a broader pattern of hybrid warfare. Ivana Stradner, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Moscow is using influence operations and kinetic actions to test European responses.
"Russia has been interfering in Moldova for years, and these latest reports fit the broader pattern of Moscow using hybrid warfare to test how far it can push Europe without triggering a serious response," Stradner said. She added that Russia maintains around 1,500 troops in the breakaway territory of Transnistria.
Stradner warned that Moldova could be a "rehearsal for how Moscow tests the Baltics," referring to the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Leaders in the Baltic region have acknowledged the escalating threat. Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated on X that while Estonia's threat assessment has not changed, "Russia’s threat and possible provocations against NATO must be taken seriously."