Romania may increase the number of troops on the border with Ukraine due to the threat of Russian drones

Romania may increase the number of military personnel and air defense assets near the border with Ukraine due to the risk of Russian drones entering the country's airspace and possibly crashing in populated areas. This was stated by Romanian Defense Minister Radu Mirutse, writes Digi24.

Mirutse noted that the deployment of forces will be based on a strategic threat analysis. This includes several dozen soldiers, Gepard radars and anti-aircraft systems, which are deployed in high-risk areas.

The main goal is to increase the likelihood that Russian drones will crash in uninhabited areas rather than populated areas.

At the same time, the minister acknowledged that the risk cannot be completely eliminated. According to him, "there is a risk of seeing drones in populated areas," but it remains low. Mirutse emphasized that no country can guarantee one hundred percent protection against such threats.

Mirutse admitted for the first time that the Romanian army is unable to detect all drones. He explained this by the design features of the drones, which can be made of materials without a reflective surface, as well as by the complex terrain, which complicates the work of radars.

The minister emphasized that the Romanian military constantly receives airborne alerts, and if necessary, F-16 fighters or ground-based air defense systems are deployed. According to him, if it were not for the work of the army, reports of drones falling would appear much more often.

In addition to national air defense capabilities, Romania also has deployed the American MEROPS system. It uses artificial intelligence to detect Russian drones and can launch drones to intercept them, as well as detect targets without metal components and at low altitudes.

According to Romanian authorities, since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, about 70 attacks and at least 14 cases of Russian drones entering Romanian airspace have been recorded in the Danube region. Residents of the Dobrogea region have been living under this threat for almost four years.

The last serious incident occurred january 18. Then the wreckage of a Russian drone was found in the yard of an uninhabited house in Vranca County, about 200 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.

• Romania even summoned the Russian ambassador because of border violations by Russian drones. Bucharest expressed protest to Moscow.