Ukraine’s ex-Commander-in-Chief reveals tensions with Romania over Ukrainian EW involvement in Russian drone incursions
During his conversation with students in Lviv, the former head of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, now Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK, disclosed that he received calls from Romania blaming Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) systems for allowing Russian drones to cross into Romanian airspace.
"Romania understands everything but remains silent. Sometimes they call me and say, 'Stay quiet.' When two 'Shahed' drones crashed into your port, why do you stay silent?" said Zaluzhnyi. He recounted assurances from the Romanians, urging him, "Keep quiet, I ask you."
Zaluzhnyi added that the Romanians even complained about the operations of Ukrainian EW systems, allegedly facilitating the intrusion of Russian UAVs into Romanian territory.
"They call and say, 'Why did you activate those EWs? The drones flew to us.' I told them, 'Then shoot them down, you have forty F-16s,’” recalled the Ambassador to the UK.
Zaluzhnyi also remarked that Ukraine's accession to NATO might offer Ukrainians nothing more than a degree of political protection.
On January 18, the Romanian Ministry of Defense reported that two Russian drones had landed on Romanian soil following a nocturnal strike by Russia on Ukraine, condemning Moscow's attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
On February 27, it was reported that the upper house of the Romanian parliament passed a law permitting the downing of Russian drones. The legislation authorizes the destruction, neutralization, or seizure of unmanned aerial vehicles illegally crossing the border.