Romanian authorities find unexploded projectile near Ukraine border

Romania's defense ministry said on May 16 that an unexploded projectile was discovered on a property near the country's border with Ukraine.

The projectile was found in the yard of an uninhabited house in the village of Pardina in Romania's Tulcea County, the ministry said in a statement. Romania shares a 650-kilometer (400-mile) border with Ukraine.

The ministry described the object as an "unguided reactive projectile" but did not specify its suspected origin.

"Technical checks confirmed the presence of two kilograms (4.4 lbs) of explosives in the projectile body," the statement said, adding that authorities had secured the area.

The Romanian Defense Ministry later confirmed that the "the projectile was detonated in a controlled manner."

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Romania has reported multiple incidents involving debris and airspace violations linked to attacks near the border.

Russian drones targeting Ukrainian port infrastructure on the Danube River have on several occasions crossed into Romanian airspace, while fragments have fallen on Romanian territory after Ukrainian forces shot them down.

Last month, an explosive drone landed in a backyard in the city of Galati, marking the first time since the start of the war that such an incident caused property damage in Romania.

Romania, a member of NATO, has emerged as one of Kyiv's key regional partners since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Bucharest has provided military assistance, supported sanctions against Russia, and signed a bilateral security agreement with Kyiv.