Further Drone Parts Found in Romania, Linked to Possible Russian Involvement

Romania, a NATO member state, has discovered parts of a suspected Russian drone for the second time within a week. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has described these incidents as “destabilizing.”

The Romanian military announced that they have once again found fragments of a suspected Russian drone in the border area near Ukraine, according to the country’s Defense Ministry. The fragments, discovered near the Romanian village of Plaur, resemble the drones used by the Russian military. It is unclear whether these findings are connected to a new Russian drone attack.

Earlier this week, Romanian forces found drone parts near Plaur, which is located on the Chilia River arm of the Danube, forming the border with Ukraine.

Likely not an intentional attack

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis condemned the violation of Romanian airspace in a conversation with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, as he stated on the X platform (formerly Twitter). Stoltenberg, in turn, stated, “There is no indication that NATO territory was targeted intentionally, but these attacks are destabilizing.” The government in Bucharest also does not believe that Russia intended to attack its territory.

In response to these incidents, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Thursday that additional F-16 fighter jets would be sent to Romania to monitor their airspace. Stoltenberg has expressed his support for this measure.

Proximity to Ukrainian port

Russia had carried out multiple drone attacks on the Ukrainian port of Ismail on the Danube earlier this week. Plaur is located on the opposite bank of the Danube in close proximity to the targeted port.

Recently, Moscow terminated an agreement allowing Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea. Consequently, Ukraine has been seeking alternative routes, increasingly using its own Danube ports and the neighboring EU member, Romania, for grain transportation.