The UK’s mission was announced shortly after Chisinau pledged to deepen ties with the Western bloc
Britain will send counter-drone warfare instructors to Moldova, the UK Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
The former Soviet republic, which has formally applied to join the European Union, adopted a new ten-year military strategy earlier this month. The document prioritizes deeper integration with NATO and identifies Russia as its primary external threat. The Kremlin has warned that Chisinau’s confrontational stance towards Russia is a miscalculation.
According to the MOD, British experts will “help train Moldova’s armed forces in counter-drone tactics,” although no further operational details were provided. Most of the UK’s announcement focused on its ongoing efforts to develop new combat drones and increase deliveries to Ukraine to fuel its war efforts against Russia.
Moscow has repeatedly cited NATO’s steady expansion eastward, including pledges to eventually admit Ukraine, as one of the root causes of the Ukraine conflict.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s pro-EU government has faced accusations from the opposition of authoritarian overreach and political repression. Her victories in recent presidential and parliamentary elections were largely secured by votes from Moldovan expatriates living in Western Europe, while domestic voters showed preference for the opposition.
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The military strategy adopted shortly after the latest vote commits Moldova to expanding cooperation and interoperability with NATO but insists that such actions do not violate the country’s constitutional neutrality. Opposition politician Marina Tauber condemned the plan as “a manifesto rejecting peace and neutrality,” warning that it effectively prepares Moldova for hostilities with Russia and that the stance was the “price” of EU integration.
