Romania finds possible drone fragments after Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Possible drone fragments were discovered in Romania’s southeastern border region following Russian strikes on Ukraine’s Danube ports overnight, Romania’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

Romanian radars detected groups of drones near the NATO country’s airspace on Tuesday, prompting the ministry to issue an alert to residents of the southeastern region.

Weather conditions did not allow the deployment of combat aircraft, the Defense Ministry said, but military teams were able to recover possible drone fragments about 5 kilometers (3 miles) inside the border between Romania and Ukraine.

Violations of Romanian airspace by drones have become increasingly frequent in recent months, as Russia targets Ukraine’s Danube ports just across the border. Authorities said samples taken from sites where drone fragments were found were similar to those used by the Russian military.

Romania and Poland are now deploying a new weapons system to defend against Russian drones following a series of incursions into NATO airspace in recent months that have exposed the alliance’s vulnerabilities and put Europe on edge.