Romanian opposition slams government after Russian drones enter airspace

The leader of the main opposition USR party, Elena Lasconi, has called on President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to provide explanations on Russian drones entering Romanian territory over the weekend.

At least two Russian Shahed attack drones entered Romanian airspace during the night from Saturday to Sunday. While authorities in Romania issued a mobile phone alert warning of the risk of falling objects to residents of Tulcea and Constanta, counties bordering Ukraine, the incident was first reported by the Ukrainian Air Force.

"It is absolutely outrageous to learn more from the Ukrainians than from the Romanian authorities,” Lasconi, who strongly criticised Prime Minister Ciolacu, Liberal leader Nicolae Ciucă, and President Klaus Iohannis, said on Sunday.

In a Telegram post, the Ukrainian Air Force said one of the drones flew over Romanian airspace for about an hour before heading toward the coastal waters of the Gulf of Odesa. The second drone reportedly crashed in an uninhabited area of Tulcea.

”In the spring, the head of the Army asked us to amend the legislation so we could shoot down drones entering our territory. Mr. Ciolacu, you control 60% of parliament—are you going to do something about it? Does General Ciucă have anything to say, or is he being silenced by his boss, Klaus Iohannis?" she added.

Meanwhile, Romania’s Foreign Ministry called for the respect of international law, including the inviolability of Romania's airspace, and reiterated its strong condemnation of these illegal attacks.

Ciolacu reassured on Sunday that "there were no major issues on the ground" but warned that these incidents would persist due to the ongoing war near Romania's border and because Ukraine will start exporting grain again.

Ciocalu also said he had been in contact with Defence Minister Angel Tîlvăr both at night and the following morning ”over coffee, as usual".

This is not the first such incident since the start of the war in Ukraine, but the authorities claim that current legislation does not allow them to shoot down drones that enter Romanian airspace - a claim backed earlier this year by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gheorghiţă Vlad, who said that four laws needed to be changed.

"At present, the Romanian Army cannot conduct combat operations in peacetime. An exceptional state must be declared, such as a state of siege or war", he said in an interview with Free Europe.

(Catalina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)