An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) suspected from the Russia-Ukraine war has crashed into the territory of Romania - a member state of NATO, after a similar incident in Croatia.
RT news agency reported that a farmer in Transylvania, Northern Romania on March 14 discovered the body of a UAV in a field near his home, about 100 km from the Ukrainian border. Romanian authorities are investigating to determine the origin of the UAV.
"Until now, we have not been able to determine the origin of the UAV or its owner. We have opened a definitive investigation," a local official said.
However, a number of local news outlets, citing sources familiar with the matter, said that this UAV is an Orlan-10, a Russian-made unmanned aerial vehicle and may have originated from the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. .
It is not clear why this UAV was able to "pass" the defenses of Romania - a key member of NATO in Southeast Europe.
Last week, a UAV identified from Ukraine flew through the airspace of Romania and Hungary at a speed of 700 km / h and an altitude of 1,300 m before falling and exploding in the Croatian capital Zagreb - another member of NATO. about 550 km from Ukraine. The incident caused damage to several cars, but no injuries. Croatian officials believe that this Russian-made Tu-141 drone comes from the hot war between Russia and Ukraine, but cannot confirm which army it belongs to.
The incident took place in the context of concerns that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to extend beyond the border and spread to NATO territory because of unexpected developments.
In an interview with CBS on March 13, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned that the US-led military alliance will respond with full force if Russian firepower falls on NATO territory, whether accidentally or intentionally. .
"The President (Joe Biden) has made it clear many times that the United States will work with its allies to protect every inch of NATO. Should there be any military action against NATO territory, Article 5 will be activated and we will respond with full force," Mr. Sullivan said.
Article 5 of NATO's general treaty talks about "collective defense, i.e. an attack on one member of the alliance will be treated as an attack on the entire alliance. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, But observers say Article 5 could force the US and other members of the coalition to respond more directly if the Russian campaign escalates beyond Ukraine.
Russia has launched a military operation in Ukraine since February 24. Since the weekend, Moscow has expanded its offensive to western Ukraine after focusing on the south, north and east. Russia has struck a Ukrainian military base near the border with Poland, a NATO member state. Ukrainian officials said the air strike left at least 35 people dead and more than 130 injured.
Ukraine has repeatedly called on the US and NATO to establish a no-fly zone over this country, but so far this proposal has been rejected. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky warned last week: "I repeat, if NATO does not close the skies, it will only be a matter of time before Russian missiles fall on your territory. That is NATO territory."
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