Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, regularly attacks Ukrainian ports in its southwest region, close to the border with NATO member Romania.
This wouldn’t be the first time that explosives fired during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine have landed in foreign countries, including EU and NATO members.
In November 2022, NATO held crisis talks after a missile landed in Poland, though U.S. President Joe Biden later said it was unlikely to have been fired from Russia.
In September 2023, another Russian drone was found on Romanian soil near the Danube river, triggering fury from Romanian officials. Soon after, Bulgaria, also a NATO member, reported finding a kamikaze drone on its territory, but could not confirm its origins.
As a NATO member, Romania is protected under Article 5 of the military alliance’s treaties, which says that an attack on one member will be considered an attack on all members.