Russia Attacks Ukrainian NATO Checkpoint - Newsweek

Russia Attacks Ukrainian NATO Checkpoint

Published Oct 02, 2024 at 5:47 AM EDTUpdated Oct 02, 2024 at 8:17 AM EDT

A Russian drone strike has hit a Ukrainian border crossing with NATO member Romania, according to reports.

The Orlivka-Isaccea checkpoint where a ferry connects Ukraine's Odesa region with Romania was suspended Wednesday morning after the incident, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said.

Ukrainian customs wrote on Telegram that ferry services at the checkpoint had been halted until 11 a.m. local time Wednesday following "a night attack of the enemy."

After 11 am, it issued an update that the crossing had reopened and operations had resumed.

"The Russians deliberately fired at the checkpoint, making it difficult for ordinary people to cross the border. This is terror against the civilian population," regional governor Oleh Kiper posted on Telegram.

"Law enforcement officers are recording the consequences of another crime committed by the Russians," his post added, according to a translation.

The Russian attack also struck port infrastructure in the Izmail district of the Odesa region, injuring two lorry drivers and Kiper shared images of the site in flames.

Last month, independent Russian outlet Verstka reported that debris from missiles and drones fired by Russia had landed in NATO countries 20 times since the start of the full-scale invasion.

This illustrative image from February 26, 2022 shows people coming from Ukraine via a ferry at the Ukrainian border point Orlivka to Isaccea. The ferry crossing was closed temporarily on October 2, 2024 following Russian... More DANIEL MIHAILESCU/Getty Images

Romanian territory close to Ukrainian Danube River ports which are frequent Russian targets has been hit 13 times, according to the outlet.

Romania was among members of the Bucharest 9 bloc of eastern European countries which last month called on a "collective answer" from NATO to the threat posed by Russian drones.

NATO's Article 5 says an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, although there are no direct accusations that Russia was deliberately targeting alliance countries with drones. Newsweek has contacted NATO and the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.

Roger Hilton, defense research fellow at the Slovakia-based think tank GLOBSEC, said last month that NATO members neutralizing drones using electronic warfare or kinetic systems would need to be balanced with avoiding escalation.

"Increased drone activity violating the air space of NATO Allies is a sensitive issue where finding a firm response is complicated by two issues— the threat of further escalation and incoming top-level political considerations," he told Newsweek.

"While NATO allies possess a range of options to confront adversarial drones, the primary question that needs to be satisfied collectively is what allies want to accomplish with their subsequent strategy and tactics," he added.

Odesa was just one of several regions in Ukraine that were targeted by Russian attacks which killed seven people and injured 50 others, Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday.

In Kharkiv Oblast, five people, including a 14-year-old boy, were injured in a guided aerial bomb attack on the town of Derhachi, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Meanwhile, one person was killed and 25 suffered injuries, including three children, in the city of Zaporizhzhia, where at least six guided aerial bombs were launched, damaging apartment buildings, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

However, Ukraine's air force said it had downed 11 out of 32 Shahed-type drones launched by Moscow's forces with 10 drones "lost" due to electronic warfare and four others returning to Russia.