Russia warns Ukraine's neighbors not to receive Kiev fighters

On Sunday, Russia warned Ukraine's neighboring countries against receiving fighter jets to Kiev in preparation for their use against Russian forces, accusing Romania, a NATO member country, which quickly "rejected" any threat against it.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a video statement that Ukraine's combat-ready fighters were destroyed "virtually all," adding, "But we know from a reliable source that Ukrainian planes have flown to Romania and other neighboring countries."

"The use of the airport network in these countries to serve as a base for Ukrainian military fighters and their subsequent use against Russian forces can be considered the involvement of these countries in an armed conflict," he explained.

Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Siuka responded in a television interview, "It's just talk aimed at distracting from what is actually happening on the ground - killing civilians and violating the rules of armed conflict."

He added that Moscow "tried in vain to intimidate us (...) and we have no reason to feel threatened."

Siuka referred to an incident reported by the Romanian army on February 24, the first day of the Russian invasion, when a Ukrainian fighter plane was intercepted in Romanian airspace and forced to land there.

At the time, the pilot reported technical problems he encountered, Bucharest said.

The Prime Minister confirmed that "the plane left from Romania without a weapon, in order to avoid any possible accusation" from Moscow, pointing out that the Romanian authorities announced this accident "with all transparency."

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