Bucharest [Romania], September 15: The Romanian Ministry of Defence has confirmed that a drone spotted in the country's airspace on Saturday originated from Russia, prompting Bucharest to summon Moscow's ambassador.
The ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the unmanned aircraft was a Geran-type drone, used by Russia in its attacks on Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defence had said the previous day that the drone did not fly over inhabited areas on Romanian territory and posed no threat.
"Such incidents demonstrate the Russian Federation's lack of respect for international law and endanger not only the safety of Romanian citizens, but also the collective security of NATO," the statement said.
The ministry said the drone remained in Romanian airspace for about 50 minutes, flying from the north-east to the south-west along the Chilia branch of the Danube River, which marks the border with Ukraine.
It turned back towards Ukraine near the village of Pardina and left Romanian territory.
Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets took off and observed the drone. Two German Eurofighter Typhoons supported the surveillance operation.
According to the ministry, the Romanian fighter pilots had authorization to shoot down this drone, however, they decided against doing so to avoid "collateral risks."
The Romanian parliament only granted the military the authority to down unauthorized drones in July, following complaints from military leaders that no legal framework had previously existed for such action.
The incident prompted Romanian Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Țoiu to summon Russia's ambassador to Bucharest, she told broadcaster Digi24 on Sunday during an interview.
She also spoke with her German counterpart Johann Wadephul, thanking him for the deployment of the Eurofighter jets to monitor Romania's border with Ukraine.
Țoiu said the priority now is to "discourage" such incidents and to strengthen cooperation with NATO and EU partners.
Source: Qatar Tribune
