In a recent incident, a Russian drone breached Romania’s airspace during nighttime assaults on Ukraine, as reported by the NATO member country. The Ministry of National Defense in Romania mentioned that Russia was attacking civilian targets and port infrastructure along the Danube River in Ukraine. In response, Romania deployed F-16 warplanes to monitor its airspace, with NATO allies being kept informed. Additionally, text alerts were issued to residents in two eastern regions as a precaution.
Preliminary investigations suggest that there may have been an “impact zone” in an uninhabited area close to the Romanian village of Periprava. This is not the first time such incidents have occurred, as Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and Romania has previously found drone fragments on its soil, including in July of this year. The Romanian Defense Ministry strongly criticized the Russian attacks on Ukraine, deeming them unjustified and in violation of international law.
Mircea Geoana, NATO’s Deputy Secretary-General (outgoing) and former diplomat of Romania, also condemned Russia’s violation of Romanian airspace. While there is no evidence of intentional attacks against NATO allies, Geoana emphasized the irresponsible and potentially perilous nature of such actions. Moving to Ukraine, reports indicate that two civilians lost their lives and four sustained injuries during a Russian airstrike in Sumy. Among the wounded were two children, as reported by the regional military administration.
Further east, in the Kharkiv region, two elderly women were killed in overnight shelling, according to local Governor Oleh Syniehubov. Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept one out of four cruise missiles and 15 out of 23 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia. Thankfully, none of the cruise missiles caused any damage. In the industrial east of Ukraine, Russian forces advanced towards the city of Pokrovsk and intensified attacks near Kurakhove to the south, as confirmed by Ukraine’s General Staff. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that their troops had taken control of Novohrodivka, a small town southeast of Pokrovsk.
