‘We are neighbours with the war’

Romanian soldiers with a KP-SAM Chiron, a portable surface to air missile launcher, and a Fakpanzer Gepard anti-aircraft vehicle during an exercise at the Capu Midia firing range in Romania. Four years of battle in Ukraine is taking a toll on neighbouring Romanians. Even if the war has not crossed the border, drones have done so. — Andreea Campeanu/The New York Times

THERE seemed nothing to fear on a sunny, wind-swept day on the banks of the Danube River, not far from the Ukrainian border. Frequent alerts about possible Russian drone attacks had proved more annoying than alarming for residents.

Besides, “We are in Nato,” said Dumitru Cerneaga, 74, a Romanian who was strolling by the river in Tulcea.