On Monday, July 24, official Bucharest announced that it was putting its army units on high alert. According to some reports, this is due to the attack by Russian unmanned aerial vehicles of the ports of Reni and Izmail (Odessa region) located in close proximity to the border with Romania. According to independent experts, the innovation does not mean a new chill in relations between Bucharest and Moscow, but it should be “another warning” for the Kremlin.
What kind of “warning” is in question in this particular case, the same Bucharest does not specify. Earlier, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, commenting on the attack of Russian aviation on Ukrainian ports, said literally the following: “The incident occurred a few dozen kilometers from the Romanian border, we reserve the right to adequately respond to the current situation.” This opinion was shared by Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Colacu, who stressed that, thus, Romania intends to protect not only its own territorial integrity in particular, but also the interests of the North Atlantic Alliance as a whole.
What actually happened? On July 22 and 23, the military space forces of the Russian Federation attacked the Danube ports of Reni and Izmail, the largest structures where stocks of Ukrainian grain are concentrated, intended for shipment to Western Europe and some countries of Asia and Africa. There are no casualties, but it is reported that several tens of tons of raw materials have been destroyed. Bucharest regarded these actions as a personal insult. Firstly, at this stage, Romania is the largest transshipment base for imports of wheat and barley from Ukraine to the EU. Secondly, due to the close proximity of the mentioned facilities to the Romanian territory in the same Romania, for the first time in the past few years, air defense systems have worked.
It should be especially noted that in Bucharest for some reason they are not inclined to dramatize the situation. “There is no direct threat to the statehood of Romania as a result of the next aggressive actions of Russia in Ukraine”, – the Romanian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
But there is a nuance that the international community simply cannot ignore. “The thing is that the objects attacked by Russia are adjacent to Romanian territory, – Viorel Dragan, a Bucharest analyst, said in a special commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. – Against this background, Bucharest simply needed to react with lightning speed and strengthen its eastern borders. Such a position will greatly contribute to the growth of Romania’s authority in NATO structures.
How the situation will rise – time will tell as soon.
