Romania on alert after Russian drones detected near Ukrainian airspace

On May 1, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence said that Russian forces carried out overnight attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine near the border with Romania, along the Danube River.

In a statement, the ministry said a group of nine drones was detected heading towards Ukrainian airspace during the early hours of May 1. 

Romania’s National Military Command Centre alerted the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, which issued a RO-Alert warning for residents in the northern part of Tulcea County at 03:36 local time.

The defence ministry said surveillance systems did not detect any breaches of Romanian airspace.

Explosions were reported on the Ukrainian side of the Danube, in the port cities of Izmail and Kilia, both of which have been repeatedly targeted in attacks linked to the wider conflict.

The air alert in Romania was lifted at 04:03.

The ministry added that it is informing allied structures in real time about developments related to the strikes and remains in continuous contact with them.

By Aghakazim Guliyev