Ukraine is asking NATO member Romania to shoot down Russian drones that are approaching Romanian airspace. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha said this after a meeting with his Romanian counterpart Luminita Odobescu in Bucharest, the Romanian news agency Mediafax reported.
Since the beginning of the war of aggression, debris from Russian drones has crashed several times in Romania near the border with Ukraine.
Of particular concern is that a Russian drone was recently spotted in the air over the Romanian Danube Delta, about 45 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Romanian F-16 fighter jets took off and escorted the object until it reached Ukrainian airspace.
Since then, politicians and military officials in Romania have been arguing about whether changes to the law are necessary to shoot down enemy drones in their own airspace.
Romania’s legal situation on this seems contradictory: one paragraph states that the army may only use its weapons for training purposes, unless a state of war or emergency is declared. Another paragraph says that enemy aircraft may be shot down after warning – and even without warning if there is not enough time.
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