Romanian customs find Igla and Stinger missiles, Kornet launchers, RPGs and Russian drone parts hidden in truck at Moldovan border; driver claims load meant for Israel; Moldovan lawmakers suspect Ukraine-linked smuggling ring, seek joint probe

Romanian customs authorities have detained a Moldovan truck driver after discovering a large cache of military-grade weapons in his vehicle, including Russian-made anti-aircraft missile systems, anti-tank rockets and components for so-called “kamikaze” drones
The driver claimed the shipment was bound for Israel, but Moldovan politicians say documentation irregularities suggest the weapons may have originated in Ukraine as part of a wider smuggling network.

The truck, owned by a small Moldovan company that officially trades in construction materials and furniture, arrived Thursday at the Leușeni–Albița border crossing between Moldova and Romania. Customs officers, suspicious of the cargo described in paperwork as “metal elements,” ordered an X-ray scan that revealed military equipment instead.

Authorities said the load included tubes for Russian Igla shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, launcher units for Kornet anti-tank missiles, 26 RPG rockets and seven U.S.-made Stinger missiles, a system with a range of nearly 5 kilometers capable of bringing down helicopters, aircraft and drones. Romanian officials also found components for Russian drones, including head and tail sections.
The truck was sealed immediately and the area secured by special forces, officials said.

The Moldovan transport company, registered since 2004 with three employees and annual revenue of about 1.27 million lei (roughly 200,000 dollars), is managed by Victor Procodin. The majority shareholder, Viacheslav Pîrvu, said a “well-known acquaintance” asked for help issuing export documents because “they had no company of their own,” adding he knew nothing about the cargo.

Renato Usatîi, leader of the Our Party political faction and deputy chair of Moldova’s parliamentary national security committee, said the presence of Stinger missiles ruled out Moldova as a source.

 “There is no such weaponry here,” he said, arguing that thousands of Stinger units sent by the United States and Europe to Ukraine may have been diverted. “If they passed through Moldova, the question is how many stayed here.” 

He also cast doubt on Israel as the intended destination. “Israel has enough of these systems. It makes no sense,” he said, calling for a joint intelligence investigation by Moldova, Romania and Ukraine. Usatîi said he would seek an urgent committee session and has contacted counterparts in Bucharest and Kyiv, saying the case is “in the interest of the entire European Union.”

Moldova’s customs service, led by Radu Vrabie, confirmed a Moldovan official first flagged the suspicious cargo and alerted Romanian authorities. Vrabie said the agency has notified prosecutors to open a criminal case and will conduct an internal probe to determine whether corruption or security failures played a role. Security officials noted that Russian-made Igla and Kornet systems are not part of Moldova’s arsenal, raising further questions about how they entered the country.

The incident comes amid repeated Russian accusations in international arms-control forums that NATO is enabling arms smuggling through Moldova, including Stinger systems that Moscow claims have “disappeared” from Ukraine and surfaced on the black market. Western intelligence sources say Moldova has become a transit point for weapons moving from Ukraine to parts of the Middle East, including Israel, though they expressed skepticism that this shipment was destined there.