This is an interesting exchange of disclosures and denials that has been going on between Kiev and Bucharest since Monday morning, September 4th. At the center is the story of Russian drones that, according to Ukrainian officials, will crash into Romanian territory last night, Sunday, August 3, 2023, and explode.
“According to the information received by the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service, the Russian ‘martyr’ fell and exploded on the territory of Romania tonight during the massive attack by Russia on the Izmail port area. This is another confirmation.” Russia’s missile terrorism poses a grave threat not only to the security of Ukraine, but also to the security of neighboring countries, including NATO member states,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook this morning.
And the detail is not trivial given that the entire Atlantic Alliance would be involved in the event of an intrusion or even a missile strike or an attack by aircraft such as drones. Romania is actually a NATO member since 2004, and a possible attack on its territory (which does not seem to be the case) could trigger the dire article 5 of the Atlantic Pact. What compels all members to defend the only nation that has been attacked militarily from the outside?
But Bucharest categorically denies Ukraine’s claim. Romanian authorities, in particular, deny that Russian explosive drones have crashed on their territory, and do so in an official memo issued after “Ukraine’s revelations”.
The official statement said the Bucharest Ministry of Defense was “monitoring the situation in real time” and that “Russia’s attacks on infrastructure in the Danube River near its border have never posed a direct military threat to Romania’s national territory or territorial waters.” Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu, who is on an official visit to Berlin, adds: “There is definitely a risk with what’s going on at the border, and the danger of an accident is real. But that’s not the case.”
Is the story over then? Not at all. Because in the afternoon came a statement from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba that Kiev will have photographic evidence that Russian drones hit Romanian territory last night. The incident allegedly occurred during a nighttime airstrike on Ukrainian port infrastructure on the Danube.
“I think in this particular case, the Romanian authorities are examining all aspects of what happened. It’s no use denying that something went down there. And we authoritatively state with evidence that it’s Shahed drones. We have photographic evidence.” said Kuleba, quoting Ukrainska Pravda. We can swear that these statements are not only shaking the buildings of Bucharest, they are shaking more than just a western chancellery. This shows once again how easily war can get out of control.
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Source: Today IT

Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.