Russian drones struck NATO territory, Ukraine claims

Ukraine on Monday accused Russia of hitting NATO member Romania with kamikaze drones – which Bucharest “categorically” denied despite apparent photographic proof.

The Iranian-made “Shahed” drones, aimed at the Ukrainian port of Izmail on the Danube River, fell across the banks and detonated on the Romanian side, Ukraine’s foreign ministry claimed while sharing images of a giant fire from the attack.

“According to Ukraine’s state border guard service, last night, during a massive Russian attack near the port of Izmail, Russian ‘Shakheds’ [sic] fell and detonated on the territory of Romania,” the ministry’s spokesman, Oleg Nikolenko, wrote on Facebook.

“This is yet another confirmation that Russia’s missile terror poses a huge threat not only to Ukraine’s security, but also to the security of neighboring countries, including NATO member states,” he claimed.

Nikolenko shared a photo showing a column of fire rising above the site of the explosion visible from across a river.

The Romanian Defense Ministry, however, swiftly refuted Ukraine’s claim.

“The Ministry of Defense categorically denies information from the public space regarding a so-called overnight situation during which Russian drones would have fallen in Romania’s national territory,” the ministry said.

“At no time did Russia’s means of attack generate direct military threats on Romanian national territory or waters.”

In response to Romania’s denial, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba repeated to reporters that Kyiv had photographic evidence of the drone strike.

Under NATO’s Article 5 and its common defense pledge, an attack on one member of the 31-nation alliance is considered an attack on them all.

The US State Department said it was aware of the claimed attack, but referred queries to Romania’s government. The Pentagon declined to comment.

Ukrainian lawmaker Oksana Savchuk told Ukrainian television that she believed the Romanian denial of the drone strike could be part of an effort by NATO to thwart a direct war with Russia.

Ukraine has reported suspected Russian missiles and drones flying over or crashing into neighbors, including NATO members, several times since the start of the war.

In the early hours of Monday, the Ukrainian border guard service said two drones had hit Romanian soil near Izmail, the Interfax Ukraine news agency reported.

The border guard service added that it had communicated the information to its Romanian counterparts, but received no reply.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote on his Telegram channel that Monday’s attack highlighted the need to increase supplies of modern air defense and long-range missiles to Kyiv to speed up Russia’s defeat.

Moscow unleashed the “Shaheds” on the port of Izmail, setting fire to Ukrainian warehouses on the banks of the Danube River, just hours before President Vladimir Putin was set to discuss reviving the Black Sea grain deal with the deal’s sponsor, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan has said he expected to convince Putin to rejoin the agreement, which allowed Ukraine to export food supplies to African and Asian countries via the Black Sea — and which Russia quit in July.

With Post wires