Romania confirms Russian drones in its airspace

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Russia launched 38 Shahed kamikaze drones at Ukraine overnight, three of which strayed into Romania’s airspace, Romanian and Ukrainian ministries have confirmed.

Ukraine’s air-defense systems managed to shoot down 25 of the drones, the Ukrainian air force said in a statement on Thursday. Three of the Shaheds crossed the border with Romania, bordering Ukraine’s Odesa region, which was heavily bombed overnight, the air force said.

“More heinous attacks have been perpetrated by Russia against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure,” Romanian Foreign Minister Luminiţa Odobescu said in a post on X. “Debris has been found on Romanian territory. We have informed and are coordinating with our Allies on this matter. Romania strongly condemns these irresponsible actions,” Odobescu said.

As the Russian drones were attacking ports in the Odesa region, residents of Romania’s Tulcea area heard multiple blasts and were warned by authorities that fragments of drones might fall to the ground, local media reported. The authorities asked the public not to panic, saying the Russian drones “were not specifically targeting Romania.”

Two Finnish Air Force F-18 jets were dispatched from a Romanian air base during the night to monitor the situation, Romania’s defense ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

“Teams of the Ministry of National Defense are currently conducting investigations in the field, to search for possible objects that fell on the national territory, as a result of the attacks conducted on the Ukrainian port infrastructure over the last two nights,” the statement said.

After the attack the previous night, the Romanian Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs found the remains of a Geran-type drone of Russian origin in the vicinity of Plauru in Tulcea.

“Search will continue today to cover the entire area. We make it clear that all the locations identified as possible areas of incidence are outside the inhabited areas, not affecting the infrastructure element,” the defense ministry said.