Romanian Foreign Ministry Summons Russian Ambassador over Drone Crash

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania has summoned the Russian ambassador in Bucharest, Valery Kuzmin, after a Russian drone crashed on Romanian territory.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expressing its firm protest in connection with an incident caused by the uncontrolled crash of a drone used in an attack on Ukrainian port infrastructure on the night of 13-14 December in an unpopulated area located about 4 km upstream from the town of Grindu," the statement reads.

The Defence Ministry states that "this is a new violation of Romania’s airspace, which contravenes international law".

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs insists that the Russian Federation stop its numerous attacks on the Ukrainian people and civilian infrastructure, as well as its irresponsible escalation of the security situation, specifically on the Romanian-Ukrainian border. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again strongly condemns these attacks on civilian facilities which violate the norms of international humanitarian law and can be classed as war crimes," the statement reads.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed its NATO allies and is conducting consultations with them concerning events on the Romanian-Ukrainian border, including today’s incident. Moreover, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon the head of the diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation," the ministry stated.

The decision was made after another drone crash-landed in Romanian territory not far from the border with Ukraine, 4 km away from the town of Grindu. A 1.5-metre crater was found at the site of the crash. F-16s and Eurofighter Typhoons were dispatched to conduct surveillance of the area.

During a nighttime drone attack on Odesa Oblast, a student accommodation building in Odesa was damaged by falling drone pieces. Eleven people were injured. A total of 11 buildings were also damaged, two cars were burned out, and warehouses near the port in the Izmail district were destroyed.

The 650-km land border between Romania and Ukraine has become a target of Russian attacks. Pieces of Russian drones used to attack the territory of Ukraine have been landing in Romania over the last few months.

It was announced at the end of September that due to incidents involving Russian drones crashing, Romania would be moving air defence systems closer to its villages on the River Danube that border Ukraine.

In October, anti-drone systems were installed in Romanian settlements on the border with Ukraine.