Romania denies Russian drones falling on its territory despite Ukrainian claims

The Romanian Ministry of Defence has rejected reports suggesting that Russian drones landed on its territory, contradicting statements made by Ukraine's Foreign Ministry. This conflicting information arises from an overnight air attack on Ukrainian port infrastructure along the Danube River, with Ukraine claiming to have photographic evidence of the incident.

Ukrainian allegations of drone attack

Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, stated that Kyiv possessed photographic evidence indicating that Russian drones had struck Romanian territory during the overnight air assault on Ukrainian port facilities along the Danube River. Kuleba shared this information with reporters following a press conference in Kyiv.

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Russian drone siege on Izmail

The incident involved Russia launching a three-hour drone assault on Izmail, a Ukrainian city situated on the border with Romania. According to Ukraine's foreign ministry, some of these drones fell and exploded on Romanian soil, which is a member of the NATO alliance.

Ukraine's response

Ukraine's air force reported that it had successfully downed 23 out of 32 Iranian-made "Shahed" drones launched from Russia and occupied Crimea. This drone attack followed Russian strikes on another Danube River port, Reni, the previous day, which Romania's Foreign Minister, Luminita Odobescu, described as a "barbaric attack against civilian targets."

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Confirmation of drone impact

Oleg Nikolenko, a Ukrainian official, stated, "According to Ukraine's state border guard service, last night, during a massive Russian attack near the port of Izmail, Russian 'Shaheds' fell and detonated on the territory of Romania." He further emphasized that this incident highlighted the significant threat posed by Russia's missile attacks not only to Ukraine but also to neighboring countries, including NATO member states.