Romania's opposition criticizes government for inaction after Russian drones invade airspace
Romania's flag (Getty Images)
Romania's opposition has sharply criticized the government after Russian Shahed drones entered Romanian airspace last weekend, citing Euractiv.
Elena Lasconi, leader of the opposition party USR (Save Romania Union), called on President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to provide explanations regarding the incident. She emphasized that the initial reports came not from Romanian authorities but from the Ukrainian Air Force.
It is reported that at least two Russian UAVs crossed Romania's border: one flew over the country for about an hour, while the other crashed in a deserted area of Tulcea. Local authorities warned residents of border areas about the danger through mobile alerts, but Lasconi stressed that the government's response was inadequate.
The opposition also criticized the government for the lack of legislative changes that would allow drones entering Romanian airspace to be shot down.
"In the spring, the head of the Army asked us to amend the legislation so we could shoot down drones entering our territory. Mr. Ciolacu, you control 60% of parliament—are you going to do something about it?" Lasconi said.
Meanwhile, the defense minister and the prime minister assured that there were no significant problems, but they expect similar incidents to occur again.
Russian drones crossing Romanian airspace
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Romania has repeatedly reported finding debris from Russian drones on its territory. Russian aerial targets have crossed the country's border multiple times.
In August, residents of the border town of Tulcea were warned about the threat of Russian UAVs.
On the night of September 8, residents of Tulcea and Constanta also received mobile phone alerts about the threat of falling debris from Russian drones. However, it was the Ukrainian Air Force that reported the crossing of the Romanian border by Russian UAVs. Incidentally, during this Russian attack, an enemy drone entered Latvian airspace via Belarus.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's foreign minister said that Russia's violation of Romanian and Latvian airspace should prompt an increase in assistance to Ukraine, including enhancing Ukraine's air defense capabilities.
