Romania’s Defense Ministry said that new drone fragments were also found on Romanian territory near the border with Ukraine the day after a drone crashed on Romanian soil during a Russian attack.
A bomb squad was deployed to the site and confirmed the presence of an explosive device, the same source said. “The explosive charge was defused in a controlled manner on the spot,” while a team of defence ministry experts is on the scene to assess the risks of the incident.
The previous drone that crashed on Romanian soil yesterday caused no casualties but caused damage to public and private property and the evacuation of 200 residents from their homes.
It is the first time drone shrapnel has fallen on the territory of Romania, a NATO member state that has seen its airspace repeatedly violated since the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022.
Following yesterday’s incident, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu called the Russian ambassador in Bucharest and later said “it was the first time he could not categorically deny that the drone that entered Romanian airspace belonged to Russia.”
In 2025, Romania adopted a law allowing it to shoot down drones that violate its airspace, but no such measure has been taken to date.
