Moscow Accuses Ukraine of Orchestrating Provocation Following Drone Incident in Romania

The Russian embassy in Romania asserted on Sunday that a drone incursion into the Eastern European nation the previous day was a «provocation» initiated by Ukraine.

On Saturday, Romania’s Defense Ministry announced that two of its fighter jets had intercepted a drone within Romanian airspace amidst ongoing Russian assaults on adjacent Ukraine.

According to the defense ministry, the drone did not pass over populated regions and did not pose any danger to civilians.

On Sunday, Romania’s Foreign Ministry called in Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev regarding the incident.

The Russian embassy in Romania refuted claims that one of its drones had crossed into Romanian airspace, labeling it instead as a «pre-planned provocation by the Kyiv authorities.»

The embassy also criticized Bucharest’s failure to provide a «clear and satisfactory response» to Moscow’s inquiries concerning the airspace violation.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Romania has reported several incidents of drone downings on its soil.

The recent episode occurred less than a week after Poland announced it had shot down multiple Russian drones that had breached its airspace during a significant aerial assault on Ukraine.

Both Romania and Poland are members of NATO.

Reporting by AFP contributed to this article.