Romania will receive reinforcements from NATO allies after the explosion of a Russian-made kamikaze drone on a block of flats in the eastern city of Galati – Spain is sending two HN90 helicopters, and Italy is supplementing its military contingent in the country with another 100 soldiers, the online edition of the "Adeverul" newspaper reports, citing sources from the Presidential Administration, BTA writes.
According to the cited sources, in parallel with these measures, Romania is trying to obtain a more advanced American presence on the territory of the country, based not only on the number of soldiers, but mainly on the military capabilities provided by the allies. The aim is to move from a "strong presence" to a "intelligent presence" on the part of the US, that is, to a more effective and better adapted military cooperation to the security needs of the region, the sources indicate.
The news website Ziare indicates that the first countries that came to Romania's aid after the drone crash in Galati were Italy and Spain - the countries with the largest Romanian communities in Europe. The NATO allies responded to the call of Prime Minister Ilie Bolognese, who requested military assistance from the allies after the incident on Friday, the publication notes.
Digi 24 television, for its part, indicates that the sending of about 100 Italian soldiers to Romania is part of a planned mission, which, however, will be withdrawn two weeks early due to the fall of a Russian drone on the Galati block, in which two people were injured.
Referring to the Italian publication "Repubblica", which quotes Italian government sources, the television indicates that the operation is different from the mission to protect airspace.
The soldiers will be sent to the "Mihail Cogalnicanu" air base, and the goal is to train Romanian forces to deal with threats from Russia. Their mission will last about a month, and their arrival is expected around June 15, the Italian media reports.