Romania's Defense Ministry "firmly denied" that drones had fallen on Romanian territory during Russia's overnight attack against Odesa Oblast, saying it did not pose any direct military threats to the country.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson earlier said on Sept. 4, citing the State Border Guard Service, that an unspecified number of drones had fallen and detonated in Romania during the attack.
The Romanian ministry also said in its statement that it has "taken enhanced vigilance measures in the ground, maritime, and air space and contributes to the consolidation of the defense and deterrence posture on the eastern flank in accordance with the national and Allied plans."
Russian forces reportedly launched 32 kamikaze drones at Ukraine overnight, 17 of which were shot down over Odesa Oblast.
According to the Foreign Ministry's spokesman Oleh Nikolenko, the attack targeted the area of the Izmail port across the Danube River from Romania. Bucharest, however, said that Russia hit the port of Reni, around 60 kilometers to the west.
Nikolenko called the alleged crash of Russian drones in Romania "another confirmation that Russian missile terror poses a huge threat not only to Ukraine's security but also to the security of neighboring countries, including NATO member states."
"We call on our partners to accelerate the provision of Ukraine with additional modern anti-missile and anti-aircraft defense systems, as well as combat aviation, which will strengthen the protection of the infrastructure of Ukraine, as well as neighboring states," the spokesman added.
This is not the first report on Russian drones or their debris crashing on the territory of Romania, a NATO member state. On Aug. 3, a local official said that Russian drones had crossed into the Ceatalchioi commune near the Romanian-Ukrainian border during a Russian attack on Izmail.
The Romanian Defense Ministry then said it didn't find any "concrete elements" to prove the allegations, adding it had stepped up security measures and was constantly monitoring the situation and cooperating with NATO to strengthen the defense on the entire eastern flank.
Daria Shulzhenko
(Updated: )
