Bucharest demands end to Russian attacks after finding drone debris on Romanian territory
Romania's Foreign Ministry summoned the head of the Russian mission in the country to answer for how Russian drone debris ended up in Romanian territory on Sept. 9.
Fragments of a drone were found on the Romanian side of its border with Ukraine after explosions. The Romanian statement called it a violation of its airspace and condemned Russia's systematic, unwarranted, and barbaric attacks against Ukraine's people and civilian infrastructure.
The Russian drones were believed to be targeting Ukrainian ports on the Danube River, which flows through the area.
According to the Romanian statement, the country's strategic affairs secretary demanded that Russia stop attacking Ukrainians, including in a way that threatens Romanian people near the border.
This is not the first time that Russian drone debris has been discovered on Romanian territory.
After Moscow's unilateral termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukrainian ports on the Danube River located near the Romanian border.
Following a drone attack overnight on Sept. 4, Ukraine said that some unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had fallen and detonated on Romanian soil.
Bucharest initially denied the report, only to change their statement on Sept. 6, when Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar confirmed that what appears to be drone fragments had been found on Romania's side of the Danube River.
Romania's President Klaus Iohannis condemned the incident "caused by the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian ports on the Danube. "
"The identification today by the Romanian authorities (...) of new fragments of a drone, similar to those used by the Russian army, indicates that there has been an absolutely unacceptable violation of the sovereign airspace of Romania, a NATO member state," Iohannis said.
"These deeply unjustified attacks violate the norms of international law and constitute war crimes," he said.
Romania will introduce new security measures to protect the civilian population near the Danube River in response to Russian strikes against Ukrainian ports, based on a document issued on Sept. 7 by Romania's National Committee for Emergency Situations.
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