On Thursday, as Russian continued to pound Ukraine, neighbor Moldova declared that its parliament had approved of a “state of emergency” for 60 days, in an emergency meeting held on February 24. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that the country was “on alert.” The president also said that they were getting ready to take in refugees fleeing from the invasion of Ukraine as multiple strikes by Russian forces are taking place. The Emergency Situations Commission will handle the crisis as well as the humanitarian challenges ahead.
On Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister of the country Andrei Spinu informed on Facebook that Supreme Security Council, CSS had “recommended the closure of Moldovan airspace.” He said that the Civil Aviation Authority would undertake the operation starting 12 a.m. and that flights would be directed to other airports.
Meanwhile the Defense Ministry said that part of the Chisinau press had circulated false information that Ukraine had been attacked by the Russians from Transnistria, which is a breakaway Russian-supported region. Defense officials chastised the media for spreading false information without confirmation and said that they should not circulate such sensitive information without verification.
Moldova’s head of state is pro-EU and has said that they would accommodate refugees from Ukraine. He said that they would support the people who needed help and tens of thousands of them would get refuge in Moldova. The president also said that law enforcement was on alert and police patrols will boost activities so that they can prevent probable challenges.
Sandu also reiterated that their priority was the security of the people, although the government had put all state institutions on alert and had also set up a crisis management center.
The Interior Minister said that almost 2,000 Ukrainians had entered the country in the first few hours of Thursday morning and more than 15,000 Ukrainian refugees have reached Moldova in the past 24 hours.
The Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said that Moldova now has a special system for leaving or entering the country. The airspace will have special measures and procedures to manage the flow of refugees have been put in place. Moldova has a 1,222 kilometer shared border with Ukraine.
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