How does the Ministry of National Defense explain that the drone which entered Estonia could be shot down, but not the one that ended up crashing over a block in Galați?

The Ministry of National Defense (MApN) explained on Friday morning the main differences between the drone that entered Romanian airspace and crashed over a building in Galați and the one in Estonia that was neutralized in the air by a Romanian pilot.

During a press conference, Brigadier General Gheorghe Maxim stated that there was not enough time to shoot down the aircraft.

"The operational situation is different. In Estonia, it was in the radar area for 26 minutes, it was in engagement procedure for 22 minutes. It was shot down from below the drone to minimize any risk. In Romania's case, it evolves very little in the airspace. The altitude of evolution is in the hundreds of meters."

"The first limitation we have is a legal one, the fact that we cannot fire in such a way that the project affects the airspace of a neighboring country. Furthermore, to engage an air target, a certain time is needed which involves detention, classification, and combat. The 4 minutes we had available was extremely short," said Brigadier General Gheorghe Maxim.

"The pilots were authorized to engage. The drone was detected at 1:52, it was lost at 1:56. The decision to engage is based on a continuous assessment. In the case of small drones and low altitudes, making a decision is extremely short. There must be a rigorous calculation of risks, above urban areas presents risks, the debris can cause comparable or even greater damage. We did not know if it was carrying a payload or if it was a reconnaissance drone. There were no real opportunities for safe engagement," Gheorghe Maxim added.