Russia’s embassy in Romania dismissed accusations that one of its drones entered Romanian airspace over the weekend, saying the incident was a “provocation” by Ukraine. Moscow’s Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev said Romania’s charge was “unfounded.”
In a statement late Sunday, the embassy claimed that “all the facts lead one to believe that it was a deliberate provocation by the Kyiv regime” and accused Bucharest of failing to provide convincing answers to Russia’s questions.
Romania’s defense ministry reported Saturday that a Russian drone had breached its airspace.
The ministry said two F-16 fighter jets were deployed and successfully “detected a drone in national airspace,” tracking it until it “disappeared from the radar” near the village of Chilia Veche.
The officials reassured the public that the drone had not flown above populated areas and did not pose an “imminent threat,” though teams were prepared to search for possible debris.
Romania, a NATO member, has previously found drone fragments on its territory as Russia intensified strikes on Ukrainian ports along the Danube River.
The incident followed a similar breach last week in Poland, where authorities said 19 Russian drones entered their airspace overnight on Sept. 10, many originating from Belarus.
NATO aircraft, including Polish F-16s, Dutch F-35s, Italian AWACS reconnaissance planes and refueling aircraft, were deployed to intercept them.
Moscow denied that its strikes on Ukraine targeted Polish territory. Russia’s defense ministry said the drones could not have reached as far as claimed, arguing their maximum range was 700 kilometers (435 miles).
However, analysts note that the Shahed-type drones Russia often uses can fly up to 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), casting doubts on Moscow’s denials.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said some of the drones traveled deep into Polish territory, with one landing near the village of Mniszków, about 260 kilometers (161 miles) from the Belarusian border.