Russia denies violating Romanian airspace: "A deliberate provocation by Ukraine"

In a new escalation that threatens security in the Black Sea region, Russia considered the breach of Romanian airspace by a drone to be a "deliberate provocation" from Ukraine, denying that Moscow was responsible for the incident that prompted Bucharest to urgently summon the Russian ambassador.

In a statement issued by the Russian embassy in the Romanian capital late Sunday - Monday, Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev described Romania's protest over the incident as "baseless," affirming that "all data indicates that the incident was a deliberate provocation by the Kyiv regime."

The Romanian Foreign Ministry had issued a strongly worded statement expressing its "strong protest" against what it described as an "unacceptable and irresponsible violation" of Romanian airspace.

Bucharest demanded that Moscow take all measures to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future.

The statement added: "Such recurring incidents contribute to escalation and pose a serious threat to regional security, especially in light of the ongoing tensions in the region since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war in February 2022."

The Romanian Ministry of Defense clarified that the drone that breached the airspace on Saturday evening is of the type "Shahed_136" made in Iran, known as "Geran" in Russian nomenclature, and is used extensively in Russian attacks on facilities within Ukrainian territory.

Authorities reported that the incident occurred during a Russian attack on facilities near the Ukrainian border, noting that the Romanian Air Force dispatched two F_16 fighter jets to track the drone and monitor the airspace.

This development came just days after a similar incident involving the breach of Romanian airspace by 19 Russian drones on Tuesday - Wednesday night, marking the first breach of this magnitude since the outbreak of the war.

The incident prompted Warsaw to raise its alert level to the highest degree, amid intensive coordination with NATO.

Romania, a NATO and European Union member, emphasized that it is "in constant communication with its allies" to address the increasing threats.

Its Ministry of Defense described the incident as "a new challenge to security and stability in the Black Sea region," noting that these breaches demonstrate "Russia's disregard for international law."

European concerns have increased over the expansion of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict towards neighboring countries, especially with the escalation of air attacks and the use of drones as a primary offensive tool in the war.