Romanian opposition criticises government inaction on Russian drones
Elena Lasconi, the leader of Romania's main opposition party, Save Romania Union, has called on President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to explain the intrusion of Russian drones into the country's territory last weekend.
As reported by Euractiv, at least two Russian Shahed drones entered Romanian airspace on the night of 7-8 August. While the Romanian authorities sent alerts to mobile phones about the danger of falling objects to the residents of Tulcea and Constanța – counties bordering Ukraine – the incident was first reported by Ukraine’s Air Force.
"It is absolutely outrageous to learn more from the Ukrainians than from the Romanian authorities," Lasconi said on Sunday, sharply criticising PM Ciolacu, leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Nicolae Ciucă, and President Klaus Iohannis.
"In the spring, the head of the Army asked us to amend the legislation so we could shoot down drones entering our territory. Mr. Ciolacu, you control 60% of the parliament – are you going to do something about it? Does General Ciucă have anything to say, or is he being silenced by his boss, Klaus Iohannis?" she added.
Meanwhile, the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry called for respect for international law, including the inviolability of Romania's airspace, and reaffirmed its strong condemnation of Russia's unlawful attacks.
On Sunday, Ciolacu stated that "there are no serious issues on the ground" but warned that such incidents will continue due to the ongoing war near Romania's border and Ukraine's resumption of grain exports.
Ciolacu also mentioned that he had been in contact with Defence Minister Angel Tîlvăr both during the night and the following morning "over coffee, as usual".
This is not the first such incident since the start of the war in Ukraine, but Romanian authorities claim that current legislation does not allow them to shoot down drones entering Romania's airspace.
This claim was supported earlier this year by General Gheorghiță Vlad, Chief of Defence Staff, who stated that four laws need to be amended.