Russian drone crashes in NATO member state Romania

At least one Russian drone crashed on the Romanian side of the border while carrying out a strike against the Ukrainian port of Izmail, according to officials in the NATO member state. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Russian drones have targeted Izmail for two nights in a row, damaging a number of buildings and injuring at least five people on the Ukrainian side. Ukraine’s Air Force said most of the drones were shot down by air defenses.

The Ministry of National Defense in Romania said fighter jets were scrambled on both nights to monitor the situation and emergency alerts were sent to local residents to seek shelter as a precaution.

“Teams of the Ministry of National Defense are currently carrying out investigations in the field in order to search for possible objects that have fallen on the national territory,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The remains of one UAV, believed to be a Shahed-type suicide drone of Russian origin, was found near Plauru, a Romanian village on the river Danube. Searches were continuing on Thursday to find other drones which may have fallen in the area.

Romania’s Defense Ministry emphasized that the drone was found away from inhabited areas and there were no reports of damage. NATO allies were informed about the incidents in real-time, the ministry said.