Romania will deploy radars and 600 troops to its border with Ukraine, the deputy chief of its general staff has said.
The Romanian armed forces are ready to shoot down Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the deputy chief of its general staff, General Gheorghia Vlad, said on Friday. Bucharest will also deploy additional forces to the Danube Delta near the Ukrainian border, he told Swedish broadcaster SVT 2.
“We decided to deploy around 600 soldiers to strengthen our defense line in the northern part of Dobrogea,” Vlad said, referring to Romania’s eastern coastal region, which borders Ukraine to the north. The border between Ukraine and Romania runs along the Danube River.
According to the general, additional radar systems were also deployed in the area and the local air defense was put on alert. Romania too “had discussions” with other NATO member states about its potential response to what Vlad described as possible “Russian Aggression.”
Asked if Romania was ready to use its air defense systems against Russian UAVs, the general said they were “ready to use all military power to defend Romanian territory.” The exact answer depends “at the threat level”, he added.
The Romanian Defense Ministry restricted flights over northern Dobrogea and especially near the border with Ukraine on Thursday. It also announced the construction of two shelters in the Plauru-Ceatalchioi area, located across the Danube from Izmail, Ukraine’s largest river port in the Danube Delta.
Earlier this week, Bucharest claimed that wreckage from a suspected Russian drone had been discovered in the area. “If it is confirmed that the remains belong to a Russian drone, the situation would be completely unacceptable and would constitute a serious violation of Romania’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” President Klaus Iohannis said then.
Kiev claimed on Monday that a Russian drone had crashed in Romania during an attack on Izmail. The Romanian Ministry of Defense initially denied that claim. Moscow did not comment on the incident.
Russia began targeting port infrastructure in Odessa and other Ukrainian Black Sea cities in July, following an attack by Kiev’s seaborne drones on the bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Russia. The attack resulted in two civilian deaths and injured a minor.
Source: sn.dk