Russia Accuses Ukraine of Provocation Following Drone Incident in Romania

On Sunday, the Russian embassy in Romania stated that a drone incident that occurred the previous day in the Eastern European nation was a «provocation» executed by Ukraine.

Romania’s Defense Ministry reported on Saturday that two of its fighter jets intercepted a drone within its airspace during ongoing Russian assaults on Ukraine.

The defense ministry added that the drone did not pass over inhabited areas and did not endanger civilians.

In response to the event, Romania’s Foreign Ministry called in Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev on Sunday.

The Russian embassy in Romania refuted claims that one of its drones had breached Romanian airspace, labeling it instead as a «premeditated provocation by the Kyiv government.»

The embassy further accused the Bucharest authorities of not providing a «clear and satisfactory response» to Moscow’s inquiries regarding the airspace violation.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Romania has reported multiple instances of drones being brought down within its borders.

The drone interception on Saturday occurred just days after Poland announced that it had downed several Russian drones that had entered its airspace amid a significant aerial assault on Ukraine.

Both Romania and Poland are members of NATO.

Reporting from AFP contributed to this story.