NATO member state Romania is weighing evacuating its border town, Plauru, days after authorities acknowledged for the first time that debris from a suspected Russian drone fell onto its territory.
Tudor Chernega, the mayor of Romania's Ceatalchioi community, held a meeting with the country's defense minister and suggested evacuating the residents of Plauru, which is located some 300 meters (328 yards) from the Danube River port of Izmail in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, Romanian news outlet Digi24 reported.
Romania's defense minister, Angel Tilvar, said Wednesday that debris from a possible Russian drone had landed near Plauru. On Monday, Ukraine said that an Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drone had detonated on Romanian territory during a Russian attack on Ukraine's Izmail port, and Romania had initially rejected those claims.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry via email for comment.
Chernega said residents of the border town should voluntarily evacuate due to regular Russian attacks on its neighbor.
"I need to get in touch with the local residents, and those who want to voluntarily relocate should be provided with the same conditions as Ukrainians—namely accommodation and food," said the mayor.
The mayor asked authorities to support Plauru's residents, who have reportedly said for more than a month that Russian drones targeting Ukraine's Izmail port are flying over their houses, with some falling close to the town.
"When you go to bed, you think about whether you'll wake up in the morning," Digi24 quoted one unnamed resident as saying.
Another resident, Marcel Niţă, told the publication he is not afraid of a potential Russian attack.
"The first time it boomed, my eldest daughter was scared, but now she's not scared anymore. She also comes out and looks. I wouldn't leave the village. Why should I?" Niţă said. "The other night (Monday to Tuesday night) when it boomed, a window fell from my balcony. It broke into three pieces."
NATO has said it stands in "strong solidarity" with Romania.
"We continue to monitor the situation closely, and we remain in close contact with our ally," NATO said in a statement late on Wednesday.
Romania's defense ministry has said that technical analysis will be carried out to "determine origin and characteristics" of the debris that fell on its territory.
Colonel Andrii Demchenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, told news outlet Ukrainska Pravda on Monday that border guards have recorded two detonations on Romanian soil.
"Through the designated communication channels, Ukrainian border guards informed their Romanian counterparts that they had recorded two detonations on the territory of Romania in certain areas during the Russian attack with UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)," Demchenko said.
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About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
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