Romania to Strengthen Its Airspace Following Russia’s Attacks on Danube Ports

Romania will strengthen its airspace defence following Russia's recent attacks on Ukrainian ports along the Danube River and the crash of Shahed drones on Romanian territory.

As the spokesperson of Romania's Minister of Defence, Constantin Spinu, said in a comment with Digi24, Romania will take measures to bolster its technical capabilities and monitor the situation near Ukraine's port infrastructure. Minister of Defence Angel Tîlvăr visited areas along the Danube bordering Ukraine and reiterated that experts had found "fragments that could be parts of drones" in the region. The Romanian Air Force commander and the Chief of the Romanian Defense Staff accompanied him on this visit.

"Ministry of National Defence investigative teams that surveyed the area over several days in the evening reported a series of fragments that could be elements of a drone... These pieces of evidence have been collected, and laboratory research has been initiated. We will precisely determine their origin... and publicly announce the findings," Spinu explained.

These fragments potentially stem from either Russia's recent attack on Izmail or earlier incidents.

"We are taking and will continue to take all the procedural steps required by the situation. Specific measures have been identified to enhance technical capabilities and monitor the situation near Ukraine's port infrastructure. We have taken additional measures to secure our airspace," Spinu added.

On 4 September, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry with reference to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported that during the Russian attack on Ukrainian ports on the Danube river on the night of 2-3 September, Russian Shahed drones fell down in the territory of Romania, and added the photo of the explosion from the other side of Danube.

Initially, Romania’s Defence Ministry denied this information, claiming Russian drones did not pose a threat for Romania.

Later, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reported that Ukraine had photo evidence of the crash of Shahed drones on the Romanian territory.

In February, Romania recorded the flight of Russian missiles near its borders. At the time, Kyiv reported that two Russian Kalibr cruise missiles crossed Ukraine's border with Moldova and flew in Romanian airspace.

Since the start of Russian strikes in August 2023 on the infrastructure of Izmail and Reni, Romania has been checking whether any drones or drone debris fell on its territory.