Russian Drones Attack Ukrainian Port City, Cross into Romania

Russian Drones Target Ukrainian Port City of Izmail for Second Night, Enter Romanian Airspace

For the second consecutive night, Russian drones have attacked the southern Ukrainian port city of Izmail, causing damage to infrastructure and wounding civilians. According to Kyiv, several Russian attack drones entered Romanian airspace during the attack.

The attack on Izmail, a major port city in the Odesa region, has been ongoing since Moscow exited an accord last year that allowed Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea. Local authorities in Izmail reported that “port infrastructure facilities were damaged” in the Russian attack, with two civilians wounded.

The Ukrainian Air Force claimed that Russia launched 38 Iranian-designed attack drones, with 25 of them being downed by air defense systems. Three additional drones, known as Shaheds, were lost after crossing the border with Romania.

The governor of the Odesa region, which borders the EU and NATO member Romania, said that the attack damaged an administrative building. The same region was targeted in a similar attack on Izmail one day earlier, wounding three people.

In response to the attack, Romania’s military conducted a search for drone debris near the border with Ukraine, with locals reporting hearing explosions. The attack also triggered alerts on mobile phones in 17 cities and villages in Romania’s southeastern Tulcea county, after “several objects” were observed approaching the northern area of the county.

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had significant humanitarian and economic impacts, with the blockade of Ukrainian ports and grain exports exacerbating food insecurity and economic instability in the region.