Bucharest reported finding more fragments of what is believed to be a drone in a region of Romania bordering Ukraine. The Romanian government continues to assert that debris from the war in Ukraine does not pose a threat.
The fragments were located near an area where drone debris was discovered last week. Romania’s defense minister, Angel Tilva, said that “these pieces don’t pose a threat.” The debris is likely from battles being fought inside of Ukraine, just across the border from Romania. Bucharest plans to analyze the debris to try to determine its origin. In this region, the Danube River acts as a natural barrier between the two states.
NATO Deputy-General Secretary Mircea Geoana has also said the incident does not risk provoking a war between Russia and NATO. “The most important thing is to re-confirm the fact that there is no indication of a deliberate action (by Russia) to strike Romanian territory and therefore NATO territory,” he said.
However, Kiev has sought to use the incident to stoke tensions. “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 neighboring countries, including NATO member states,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko posted on Facebook last week.
Bucharest quickly responded, “At no time did the means of attack used by the Russian Federation generate direct military threats to the national territory or the territorial waters of Romania.”
A similar incident occurred last year when a Ukrainian air defense missile crossed the border into Poland and killed two people. Kiev initially placed the blame on Moscow, claiming the missile was Russian. However, Polish authorities quickly identified the projectile as a Ukrainian missile.
