The Moldovan foreign ministry said in a statement that Russia had sought to delegitimise the democratic process of the country's presidential election, won by pro-Western President Maia Sandu, and an Oct. 20 referendum on inserting a clause in the constitution defining EU membership as a goal.

The victory for the 52-year-old ex-World Bank adviser is an endorsement of the resolutely pro-Western course she has tacked.

The Moldovan Foreign Ministry protested to the Russian ambassador against "Russia's illegal interference in the elections and referendum in Moldova to distort their results, undermine and delegitimize the democratic process in Moldova.

Moldova's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a protest note over Russia's deliberate interference in Moldova's presidential elections and referendum, condemning Russian drones violating Moldovan airspace near Keushani and Rishkani.