Ukraine’s top diplomat said that Kyiv had photographic evidence to show that Russian drones struck Romanian territory during an overnight air attack on Ukrainian port infrastructure on the Danube River. Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba made the comment to reporters after a press conference in Kyiv.
Russia launched a three-hour overnight drone siege on Izmail, a Ukrainian city on the border with Romania. Some drones fell and detonated on Romanian territory, a member of the NATO alliance, Ukrainian foreign ministry said.
Ukraine’s air force said it had shot down 23 out of 32 Iranian-made “Shahed” drones launched from Russia and occupied Crimea. The attack followed Russian strikes on another Danube River port, Reni, yesterday, which Romania’s foreign minister Luminita Odobescu called a “barbaric attack against civilian targets”.
“According to Ukraine’s state border guard service, last night, during a massive Russian attack near the port of Izmail, Russian ‘Shaheds’ fell and detonated on the territory of Romania,” Ukrainian official Oleg Nikolenko said.
“This is yet another confirmation that Russia’s missile terror poses a huge threat not only to Ukraine’s security, but also to the security of neighbouring countries, including NATO member states.”
Romania’s defence ministry has denied reports that Russian drones fell in its territory contradicting statements by Ukraine’s foreign ministry.
“The ministry of defence categorically denies information from the public space regarding a so-called overnight situation during which Russian drones would have fallen in Romania’s national territory,” it said, adding, “At no time did Russia’s means of attack generate direct military threats on Romanian national territory or waters.”
