Russian Missiles Crossed NATO Airspace Over Romania, Kyiv Says

Ukraine accused Russia of launching a missile attack that violated the air space of NATO member Romania, ratcheting up new concern of an escalation between the alliance and Moscow.

(Bloomberg) — Ukraine accused Russia of launching a missile attack that violated the air space of NATO member Romania, ratcheting up new concern of an escalation between the alliance and Moscow.

Two Russian Kalibr missiles entered Ukraine after crossing through neighboring Moldova and Romania on Friday, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said on Telegram.

In a separate statement, Romania’s Defense Ministry declined to confirm that a Russian missile crossed the Black Sea country’s air space. Moldova’s Defense Ministry said it tracked a Russian missile flying over its territory, without mentioning whether it flew over Romania.

The rockets were part of a new barrage that began with early-morning drone attacks, Ukrainian officials said. Missiles followed, including some fired from vessels in the Black Sea, prompting reports of multiple explosions across the country.

Authorities in the northeastern Kharkiv region reported several missile strikes that wounded at least seven people and disrupted electricity supplies in parts of the country’s second-largest city. The mayor of Lviv near the Polish border said air defenses were shooting down missiles just hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with his counterpart, Andrzej Duda in the Polish city of Rzeszow 145 kilometers (90 miles) across the border.

The attack caused new disruptions to Ukraine’s energy grid, according to national operator Ukrenergo, after targeting power and transmission stations overnight. Other missiles hit high-voltage infrastructure in eastern, western, and southern regions that led to blackouts, the company said.

Ukraine’s Air Force downed at least five drones and five Kalibr missiles, it said.

The new bombardment was the 14th since October, when Russia launched a campaign to attack civilian targets in a bid to crush Ukrainians’ will to fight back. It also came as Zelenskiy made a tour of European Union countries, in which he appealed to allies for heavier weapons, including fighter jets, to beat back Russia’s invasion.

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