Romanian Media-Unverified Reports Russian Drones Entered Airspace

Romania's Digi24 reporting unverified claims from the Ceatalchioi commune, just across the Danube from the Ukrainian port of Izmail, that Russian drones flew above homes of residents and one crashed in the forest close to the village in the recent attack on the Ukrainian grain shipment hub. Local Mayor Tudor Cernega stated that "The locals confirm several times that the drones passed in a straight line over the houses in Ceatalchioi. The fear is very great. No crashed drone was found. There is the testimony of some locals, sailors, that a drone fell in the forest. Searched, but nothing was found."

• Any confirmation of Russian drone activity in Romanian airspace would have significant security implications for the region, given that Romania is a NATO member state. However, the Defence Ministry in Bucharest was swift to downplay any prospect of direct conflict with Russia.
• The ministry condemned the Russian attack on Izmail, a crucial grain export hub for Ukraine following Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain initiative. It went on to say that "Regarding the security situation near Romania's borders, from the evaluations of the structures with responsibilities of the Ministry of National Defense, at this moment, there is no possibility of direct military threats to the national territory or territorial waters of Romania,"