Dan told News.ro that the drone was part of a group of 43 UAVs flying from east to west that crossed Ukrainian territory about 20 to 30 kilometers (12 to 19 miles) north of the Danube.
During their flight over Ukrainian territory some of them were shot down, and one of them, probably hit over the city of Reni, changed course and headed toward Galati,” he said.
Asked whether the change in course was accidental or the result of external guidance, Dan said: “It suffered kinetic damage. It was shot at and hit, and that's exactly why.”
On Romania’s requests to NATO for counter-drone equipment, Dan said the issue is technically complex.
“Depending on the equipment, if you aim to shoot down a drone from an aircraft, you have to be sure the missile trajectory that shoots down the drone won't hit someone's house and cause greater damage; also you cannot fire from Romanian territory into Ukrainian territory, so there are many conditions,” he said.
Hours earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said
Ukraine stands ready to support Romania in any necessary way. He later spoke
with Dan and said Ukraine would send drone specialists to Romania to help
strengthen air defenses.