Four Ukrainian helicopters landed at Iasi International Airport in the north-eastern region of Romania. The Ministry of National Defense states that these are maintenance operations.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the Ukrainian authorities requested from the Romanian side diplomatic approvals to fly over the final destination Ghimbav, Brașov County, for four helicopters to carry out maintenance operations at Airbus Helicopters Romania.
The aircraft is configured to execute civilian missions according to all sources. The flight plans and the operations are transparent.
Apparently, approving the flight over the Romanian territory goes against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned the EU countries, especially Romania, not to host planes from Ukraine. The warning came after one Ukrainian fighter jet entered the Romanian airspace at the beginning of the Russian military operations in Ukraine. It was escorted and forced to land in Romania.
The use of the network of military airports of these countries to serve as bases for Ukrainian military aircraft and their subsequent use against the Russian armed forces could be considered as involved of these countries in an armed conflict.
Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense
Even if it implies civilian aircraft, this event could draw Moscow’s attention in an already complicated regional context.