Russia launched an overnight attack on Ukraine with 38 Shahed kamikaze drones, three of which inadvertently entered Romanian airspace, as confirmed by Romanian and Ukrainian authorities. The assault focused on the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmayil, a critical hub for grain exports, marking the second day of consecutive strikes on this infrastructure. Drone debris, believed to be of Russian origin, landed in Romania, leading NATO to deploy F-18 warplanes to oversee the situation.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted and shot down 25 of the drones. The remaining drones, including three that crossed into Romania, were targeted over various regions such as Odesa, Kherson, Mykolayiv, Kyiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy. In the Odesa region’s port town of Izmayil, the attack led to significant damage to port facilities and left two civilians wounded. This port, alongside Reni, is vital for Ukrainian grain exports via Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta.
Last night, people from Romania could see and hear the Russian drones attack on a Ukrainian port, right from their apartment windows from a major city located kilometers away. pic.twitter.com/Y2C0dH2kwv
— one green X (@onegreenx) July 24, 2024
Romanian authorities, after inspecting the Danube bank, found metal fragments suspected to be drone wreckage. This discovery came after residents of Romania’s Tulcea area reported hearing multiple blasts and were alerted by authorities about potential drone debris. The Defense Ministry confirmed the discovery of fragments from a Russian-origin Geran drone near Plauru in Tulcea County. Finnish Air Force F-18 jets were dispatched to monitor the area, following NATO’s intensified surveillance.
🚨🇷🇴🇷🇺ROMANIA FINDS CRASH SITE OF RUSSIAN DRONE
The Shahed drone flew over 10km into Romania before striking the ground and exploding.
It was one of a wave of drones targeting the Ukrainian port of Izmail, on the border with Romania. pic.twitter.com/2Fr1uGcDFT
— Playerzo2 (@Playerzo2) July 25, 2024
Romanian Foreign Minister Luminiţa Odobescu condemned Russia’s actions, emphasizing the coordinated response with NATO allies. The situation marks a continuation of Russian drone activity impacting Romanian territory since the war began in February 2022. NATO has not detected any intentional attack on its territory but acknowledges the incidents as irresponsible and dangerous.
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