Russia Labels Drone Incident in Romania as a Ukrainian Provocation

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

Romania’s Defense Ministry reported on Saturday that two of its fighter jets had intercepted a drone within Romanian airspace, following Russian assaults on neighboring Ukraine.

The ministry stated that the drone did not traverse populated regions and posed no threat to civilians.

On Sunday, Romania’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev to discuss the matter.

The Russian embassy in Romania refuted claims that one of its drones had breached Romanian airspace, labeling it a «calculated provocation from the Kyiv authorities.»

Additionally, it accused Bucharest officials of not providing «specific and convincing responses» to Moscow’s inquiries regarding the airspace breach.

Since the onset of Russia’s extensive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Romania has reported multiple incidents of drones being shot down within its territory.

The incident on Saturday occurred less than a week after Poland announced it had downed several Russian drones that had entered its airspace during a major aerial offensive against Ukraine.

Both Romania and Poland are members of NATO.

Report contributed by AFP.