Romania neutralises Russian drone wreckage

Romania's defence ministry said on Tuesday it safely detonated drone fragments found in ​the southeastern village of Rachelu, near the ‌border with Ukraine, part of debris linked to a Russian attack on Ukrainian port infrastructure in April.

EU and ​NATO member Romania, which shares a 650-km (400-mile) ​land border with Ukraine, said Russian drones ⁠have breached its airspace 29 times since Moscow ​began attacking Ukrainian ports across the Danube River ​following its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Fifteen of those incursions have occurred this year alone. In late May, one drone crashed ​into an apartment building, injuring two people, the ​first time a densely populated area in a NATO country ‌had ⁠been hit and caused injuries during Russia's war in Ukraine.

On Thursday, the Romanian defence ministry said a local resident had reported the drone fragments, ​which contained ​explosives and ⁠had to be detonated at the site.
Romania has asked NATO allies to deploy ​additional anti-drone capabilities to Romania, particularly ​low-altitude ⁠radars and interceptor drones.

Earlier this month, the defence ministry said it had integrated the U.S.-developed Merops interceptor drone ⁠system into ​its national air defences.

Romania is ​also set to boost its air defences via the EU's new ​SAFE rearmament initiative.

-Reuters