Defence Minister Confirms Discovery of Drone Debris in Romania; President Iohannis Previously Denied Incident; Additional Airspace Security Measures Underway

Pieces of a Russian drone were found on Romanian territory. Defence Minister Angel Tîlvăr confirmed the information to Antena 3 CNN.

According to initial reports, several pieces of a drone used by Russia to attack targets in Ukraine have been found in Romania, which means the drone crashed on Romanian territory.

The discovery was made in Tulcea county, in the area of Plauru, on the border with Ukraine, after last night’s attacks on Ukraine’s Danube ports.

The Defence Minister said a very large area had been checked and confirmed that pieces had been found that could be drone debris, but posed no threat to the population.

„We have covered a very large area, including the area about which there have been discussions in the public space and I confirm that pieces have been found that could be the elements (of a drone),” Tîlvăr said.

„It is important that we also reinforce our vigilance missions. The equipment we use remains functional and in the phase of precaution and increased vigilance. (…) There was no question (of evacuation), because there are no elements that could generate the danger that such pieces pose a threat,” the minister added.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Defence, General Constantin Spînu, told Digi24 that „several elements that can be assimilated to drone elements” were discovered on Tuesday evening on the Romanian bank of the Danube, near Ceatalchioi, and the investigation team has taken samples for analysis in order to determine their origin and when they arrived in Romania.

The MApN spokesman said that „measures have been established to strengthen the technical capacity for monitoring and securing airspace”.

„In a location very close to the banks of the Danube, where the MApN investigation teams that have been investigating for several days, in the course of the evening reported several elements that can be assimilated to drone elements. (…) Samples have been collected and after analysis we will be able to determine where they came from and when they arrived. At this moment we cannot make a link between recent or old attacks. Last year we also had a situation when the remains of a drone were discovered on the Romanian side of the Danube,” Spînu said.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu confirmed on Wednesday that pieces of a drone were found on Romanian territory.

„Yes, it’s from yesterday. It’s 100 meters from the water, in a jungle area, now deforesting. (…) Since you’ve been pushing, they’ve also searched in the jungle,” Marcel Ciolacu told journalists, according to images transmitted by Digi24.

Kiev has claimed since Monday that Russian drones have fallen on Romanian territory. Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba has claimed that Ukraine even has photographic evidence, while all authorities in Bucharest have denied it.

President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday in Cincu that „there was no piece and no drone and no other part of any device that reached Romania”, but there are attacks very close to the border, as happened today 800 meters from the border. „We are alert, we are careful and we are within NATO very well defended,” the president stressed.

Several residents of Chilia Veche, Romania, have reported that explosions took place across the Danube in the Ukrainian town of Chilia Noua on Tuesday night, which were visible to the naked eye from Romanian territory.