Traffic between Romania and Ukraine at the Romanian border point at Isaccea in the country’s southeast was closed on Friday following Russian drone attacks on the night of Thursday to Friday on the Ukrainian border point of Orlovka.
The drone attacks in Ukraine were visible from Isaccea and some locals filmed them and posted the images on social media.
The Orlovka-Isaccea border point is a strategic one through which Ukrainian refugees cross into Romania and grain is transported between the two countries.
Due to the destruction caused by Russian drones, it will not be possible to travel through the border crossing for a while, after the pontoon of the ferry connecting the two countries was sunk on the Ukrainian side.
The Mayor of Isaccea, Anastase Moraru, said the Russian drone attacks were aimed strictly at the neighbouring border point of Orlovka, not at the grain loading points.
“Traffic through the Isaccea border crossing point is completely closed due to the attacks on the Ukrainian side at Orlovka. Exiting traffic is being redirected to Galati by road. The two ferries that ensure the crossing from one side of the Danube to the other are anchored on the Romanian side,” Moraru told G4Media.
Next to the pontoon of the ferry at Orlovka, four Russian drones attacked several trucks loaded with grain that were supposed to reach Romania.
Ukrainian air defences said they had destroyed 25 Shahed drones out of 33 launched by Russia between Thursday night and Friday. The drones were downed over a large area of Ukrainian territory, including Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zhytomyr Oblasts, said the Ukrainian Air Force.
In Kharkiv, Russian drone strikes killed a 10-year-old boy and injured 23 others, including an 11-month-old baby.
According to official sources in Bucharest, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, could visit Romania on October 10. Official confirmation will likely come on the day of the visit for security reasons.
The visit would take place in the context of the strong support given by Romania to Ukraine, including over the grain crisis that Ukraine is facing. Romania is one of the most important European countries that help transport Ukrainian grain to international markets
Source : Balkan Insight
