Russia Accuses Ukraine of Provoking Tensions with Drone Incident in Romania

On Sunday, the Russian embassy in Romania asserted that a drone incursion into Romania the previous day was a «provocation» orchestrated by Ukraine.

The Romanian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that its fighter jets had intercepted a drone within its airspace during Russian assaults on Ukraine.

According to the defense ministry, the drone did not traverse populated regions and posed no risk to civilians.

In response to the incident, Romania’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev on Sunday.

The Russian embassy denied that any of its drones had entered Romania’s airspace, labeling the event as a «planned provocation by the Kyiv regime.»

They further criticized Bucharest for not providing a «clear and convincing response» to Moscow’s inquiries regarding the airspace violation.

Since Russia initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Romania has reported several instances of drones being shot down on its territory.

The incident that occurred on Saturday took place less than a week after Poland reported shooting down several Russian drones that had crossed into its airspace during a significant air offensive against Ukraine.

Both Romania and Poland are members of NATO.

Reporting by AFP contributed to this article.