A spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that the Russian drones struck the territory of Romania, during an attack on the night of September 3-4 on the port infrastructure in Ismail on the Black Sea Coast. Ismail is a former Romanian port seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II and currently occupied by Ukraine.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, its drones struck a Ukrainian shipbuilding facility in the northwestern part of the Black Sea last night, where crewless boats were being assembled from imported components.
“According to the State Border Service of Ukraine, last night, during a massive Russian attack near the port of Ismail, Russian drones fell and exploded on the territory of Romania,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook. “This is yet another confirmation that Russian terror is a huge threat not only to the security of Ukraine, but also to the security of neighboring countries, including NATO member states” Parts of the Romanian media view the Ukrainian claims as part of an orchestrated effort by Kiev to draw neighboring countries into the conflict.
The Romanian Ministry of National Defense categorically denied the Ukrainian claim in an official statement: “The Ministry of National Defense categorically denies the information in the public space regarding a so-called situation that occurred during the night of September 3 to 4, in which Russian drones allegedly fell on the national territory of Romania. The structures with responsibilities of the Ministry of National Defense monitored in real time the situation generated by the Russian attacks carried out with drones, both last night and Saturday to Sunday, on the infrastructure in the vicinity of the Ukrainian ports on the Danube. At no time did the means of attack used by the Russian Federation generate direct military threats to the national territory or to the territorial waters of Romania.”
A new drone attack occurred on Monday morning over the former Romanian port city of Ismail. About 17 drones were shot down, but some reached their targets, the governor of the Odessa region claimed on Telegram. According to preliminary reports, there are no dead or injured, he added. The extended area of Ismail port, warehouses, and production buildings, as well as machines and agricultural equipment, were damaged. It was the second consecutive attack in the area, after the one on Sunday morning.
