Romania confirms Russian drone fragments landed near its border with Ukraine, with President Dan calling the incident accidental.
BUCHAREST: Fragments of a suspected Russian drone landed in Romanian territory without causing damage.
President Nicusor Dan downplayed the incident as an “accident” during comments to journalists on Tuesday.
The Romanian defence ministry reported the aerial vehicle impacted ground in the Grindu area, approximately five kilometres south of the Ukrainian border.
Military teams confirmed the presence of possible drone fragments at the scene.
Dan noted that “it has happened before” when addressing the incident.
The drone crash occurred during renewed Russian air strikes on Ukrainian ports along the Danube.
The ministry recorded “a large number of explosions” on the Ukrainian side near Izmail port.
This marks the latest in a series of airspace violations affecting NATO members bordering Ukraine.
Romania previously summoned the Russian ambassador following a September drone intrusion.
The country passed legislation in February authorising the shooting down of drones violating its airspace.
NATO brigade exercises currently underway in Romania will conclude on Thursday.
The United States recently announced plans to reduce its military presence in Romania, withdrawing nearly 700 of 1,700 deployed troops.
Other European nations including Poland, Estonia, Denmark and Germany have also reported Russian drone incursions.
The European Union denounced Moscow’s escalation following October’s airspace violations. – AFP