Two NATO members said Sunday that Russian drones violated their airspace, as one reportedly flew into Romania during nighttime attacks on neighboring Ukraine while another crashed in eastern Latvia the previous day.

A drone entered Romanian territory early Sunday as Moscow struck 鈥渃ivilian targets and port infrastructure鈥� across the Danube in Ukraine, Romania鈥檚 Ministry of National Defense reported. It added that Bucharest had deployed F-16 warplanes to monitor its airspace and issued text alerts to residents of two eastern regions.

It also said investigations were underway of a potential 鈥渋mpact zone鈥� in an uninhabited area along the Romanian-Ukrainian border. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Later on Sunday, Latvia鈥檚 Defense Minister Andris Spr奴ds said a Russian drone fell the day before near the town of Rezekne, and had likely strayed into Latvia from neighboring Belarus.

Rezekne, home to over 25,000 people, lies some 55 kilometers (34 miles) west of Russia and around 75 kilometers (47 miles) from Belarus, the Kremlin鈥檚 close and dependent ally.

While the incursion into Latvian airspace appeared to be a rare incident, Romania has confirmed drone fragments on its territory on several occasions since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, as recently as July this year.

Mircea Geoan膬, NATO鈥檚 outgoing deputy secretary-general and Romania鈥檚 former top diplomat, said Sunday morning that the military alliance condemned Russia鈥檚 violation of Romanian airspace. 鈥淲hile we have no information indicating an intentional attack by Russia against Allies, these acts are irresponsible and potentially dangerous,鈥� he wrote on the social media platform X.

Latvia鈥檚 military on Sunday similarly said there were no indications that Moscow or Minsk purposely sent a drone into the country. In a public statement, the military said it had identified the crash site, and that a probe was ongoing.

Spr奴ds, the Latvian defense minister, sought to downplay the significance of the drone incursion.

鈥淚 can confirm that there are no victims here and also no property is infringed in any way,鈥� Defense Minister Andris Spr奴ds told the Latvian Radio on Sunday, adding that any risks in the event were immediately eliminated: 鈥淥f course, it is a serious incident, as it is once again a reminder of what kind of neighboring countries we live next to.鈥�

Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the incursions 鈥渁 reminder (that) the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation go beyond Ukraine鈥檚 borders.鈥�

鈥淭he collective response of the Allies should be maximum support for Ukraine now, to put an end to (Russian aggression), protect lives and preserve peace in Europe,鈥� Sybiha said in a post on X.

Civilians reported killed in Ukraine

In Ukraine, two civilians died and four more suffered wounds in a nighttime Russian airstrike on the northern city of Sumy, the regional military administration reported. Two children were among those wounded, the administration said. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed later on Sunday that its forces struck foreign pro-Kyiv fighters in a village on Sumy鈥檚 northern outskirts. It was not immediately clear whether this was a reference to the same attack.

Also on Sunday, Ukraine鈥檚 General Staff said that Russian troops continued to pound Sumy and the surrounding regions with airstrikes, and had lobbed at least 16 devastating 鈥済lide bombs鈥� at the province by mid-afternoon. Russian forces shelled the city again during the day Sunday, wounding a teenager and a civilian man, the regional prosecutor鈥檚 office reported.

Three more women died Sunday after Russian forces shelled a village in the eastern Donetsk region, Gov. Vadym Filashkin reported on the Telegram messaging app. Separately, Russian shelling killed a woman on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine鈥檚 second city in the northeast, local authorities said.

Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 58 from the massive Russian missile strike that on Tuesday blasted a military academy and nearby hospital in the eastern city of Poltava, regional Gov. Filip Pronin reported. More than 320 others were wounded.

Since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the Russian military has repeatedly used missiles to smash civilian targets, sometimes killing scores of people in a single attack.

Russian forces continued their monthlong grinding push toward the city of Pokrovsk, and also ramped up attacks near the town of Kurakhove farther south, Ukraine鈥檚 General Staff reported.

Russia鈥檚 Defense Ministry said Sunday its troops had taken Novohrodivka, a small town some 19 kilometers (11 miles) southeast of Pokrovsk. An update published Saturday evening by DeepState, a Ukrainian battlefield analysis site, said Russian forces had 鈥渁dvanced鈥� in Novohrodivka and captured Nevelske, a village in the southeast of the Pokrovsk district.

Pokrovsk, which had a prewar population of about 60,000, is one of Ukraine鈥檚 main defensive strongholds and a key logistics hub in the Donetsk region. Its capture would compromise Ukraine鈥檚 defense and supply routes, and would bring Russia closer to its stated aim of capturing the entire Donetsk region.

Berlin raises prospect of peace talks with Russia

Also on Sunday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agree that Moscow should be included in a future peace conference aimed at ending its invasion of Ukraine.

鈥淭here will certainly be a further peace conference, and the president (Zelenskyy) and I agree that it must be one with Russia present,鈥� Scholz told Germany鈥檚 ZDF public television.

A previous peace conference June 15-16 in Switzerland ended with 78 countries expressing support for Ukraine鈥檚 鈥渢erritorial integrity鈥� but otherwise left the path forward unclear. Russia did not participate.

Ukraine鈥檚 Zelenskyy did not immediately comment on Scholz鈥檚 remarks, but said in a video address Sunday that he had held 鈥渋mportant negotiations鈥� with the German leader and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He did not give details.

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Associated Press writers Stephen McGrath in Sighisoara, Romania, and Jari Tanner in Helsinki, Finland contributed to this report.

The Associated Press