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Romanian president: Russian drones not directly targeted at Romania, still a problem

by Nate Ostiller and The Kyiv Independent news desk September 22, 2023 3:59 PM 2 min read
Klaus Iohannis, Romania's president, speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Russian drones are not intentionally targeting Romania, but the situation is still "unacceptable," Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said.

"Of course, Russia does not directly attack Romania, but if these drone fragments end up falling on Romanian territory, then it is a real problem," Iohannis said in comments at the World Leaders Forum in New York on Sept. 21.

The remarks, reported by the Romanian news agency News.Ro, were part of a larger discussion about Russia's targeting of grain exports.

Iohannis categorized these attacks on civilian infrastructure as war crimes.

NATO still sees no signs of intentional Russian attack on Romania after drone fragment discovery
NATO said again it sees no signs of an intentional attack by Russia against Romania after Bucharest found drone fragments on its territory for the third time, Romanian Ambassador to NATO Dan Neculăescu said on Sept. 13, citing the alliance’s spokesperson.

Russia escalated its attacks against Ukrainian ports following its unilateral termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in an attempt to destroy Ukraine's ability to export agricultural products.

Earlier in September, the impact of these attacks began to spill over the border and into Romanian territory.

Iohannis previously denied that any Russian drones had crossed into Romanian territory but then summoned the Russian ambassador to Romania in mid-September after more drone fragments were found.

Despite Russia's claims that it does not intend to attack Romania, Iohannis acknowledged the Romanian residents who live near the Danube River and border with Ukraine "are scared."

He also emphasized that in addition to the fear the strikes have caused, they also have made some Romanians think that, "if we sit and do nothing, maybe this will also happen to us."It was previously reported that Romanian authorities will construct shelters in the Danube River area near the Ukrainian border in response to the war's spillover into Romanian territory.

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