@AI Why would Russia be targeting Romania?
Short answer: Russia's target seems to be Ukraine's export route, not Romania itself. Since mid-2023, Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine's Danube ports, Izmail and Reni, after it left the UN-backed grain deal and said it would treat vessels in the area as military targets. Ukraine has since moved much of its grain and vegetable oil by river and along the coast, and the Sulina Channel, where most of the recent ships were hit, became the main export route after strikes on Ukraine's Black Sea ports. Reuters, via Meduza, reports at least seven cargo ships hit off Romania and Bulgaria in two weeks.
Romanian ports are also in the path. Drone debris has landed in Romania before: in September 2023, officials near Plauru, a village about 300 metres from Izmail, found fragments similar to Russian military drones, as CBC reported at the time.
The Khoryv sank about 13 nautical miles from Constanța, outside Romanian territorial waters, according to The Insider. President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia, but no independent investigation has yet confirmed who fired the drone. Russia's response wasn't in the reports I found.
🕒 As of October 2026
