“We decided to deploy about 600 soldiers to strengthen the defense line in the north of Dobrogea,” Vlad said, referring to Romania’s eastern coastal region bordering Ukraine. The border between Ukraine and Romania runs along the Danube River.
Flames from an explosion on the banks of the Danube River, the natural dividing line between Ukraine's Odessa region and Romanian territory. (Photo: Facebook Oleg Nikolenko)
Additional radar systems have also been deployed in the area and local air defense forces have been put on alert, Vlad said. Romania has also “discussed” its response to “potential Russian aggression” with other NATO member states.
Asked whether Romania would be ready to use its air defense system against Russian drones, Vlad said the country was “ready to use all its military power to defend Romanian territory.” He added that the exact response would depend “on the level of threat.”
Romania's Defense Ministry has restricted flights over northern Dobrogea, especially near the border with Ukraine. Bucharest also announced the construction of two bomb shelters in the Plauru-Ceatalchioi area, across the Danube from Izmail, Ukraine's largest river port in the Danube Delta.
Earlier this week, Bucharest announced that debris from a suspected Russian UAV had been found in the area. President Klaus Iohannis said at the time: “If it is confirmed that the debris belongs to a Russian UAV, the situation would be completely unacceptable and would be a serious violation of Romania’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
On September 11, Kiev claimed that a Russian UAV had crashed in Romania during an attack on Izmail. The Romanian Defense Ministry initially denied the report. Moscow has not commented on the incident.
Russia began targeting port infrastructure in Odessa and other Ukrainian Black Sea towns in July, following a drone attack by Kiev on a bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Russia. The attack left two people dead and another injured.
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