Wreckage from a suspected Russian drone has been discovered in Romania, Defense Minister Angel Tilvar said on Wednesday. Bucharest previously rejected Kiev’s claim that a Russian UAV had crashed on its territory.
“I confirm that pieces which might be the elements of a drone were found,” Tilvar told news channel Antenna 3 CNN. The fragments were discovered near the village of Plauru in Tulcea County, which is located on the Black Sea coast, near the border with Ukraine.
Tilvar said experts would examine the pieces to confirm their origin. The minister promised to erect more observation points and arrange additional patrols to monitor the area.
“If it is confirmed that the remains belong to a Russian drone, the situation would be completely unacceptable and would constitute a serious violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Romania,” President Klaus Iohannis said after he was informed about the discovery.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko claimed on Monday that a Russian UAV had crashed on Romanian territory during an overnight attack on Ukraine’s port city of Izmail. The Romanian Defense Ministry strongly denied this claim at the time.
Moscow has not commented on the matter. The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday that its drones struck fuel depots in the Ukrainian port of Reni, on the left bank of the Danube River.
Russia began striking port infrastructure in Odessa and other Black Sea towns in July, after Kiev’s seaborne drones attacked the long bridge that connects Crimea with mainland Russia. The attack killed two civilians and injured a teenage girl. Ukraine has since attempted several times to strike the bridge with drones and missiles, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry.