BUCHAREST, Dec 25, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - NATO member Romania said Wednesday it had not detected any Russian missile passing through its airspace to target Ukraine as claimed by Kyiv.

Ukraine said Russia had launched 170 drones and missiles targeting its energy grid in an "inhumane" Christmas Day attack.

"The Romanian military authorities have been informed by the Ukrainian military authorities that, at around 7:30 am, a missile of the Russian Federation forces, which would have impacted in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, would have flown through the airspace of the Republic of Moldova and, for about two minutes, also through the airspace of Romania," the defence ministry said.

"From the monitoring data of Romania's air surveillance systems and from the data provided by the assets of the NATO countries... it was not confirmed that the aircraft crossed Romanian airspace," it said.

Border police in neighbouring Moldova said they had recovered a Russian missile but it had not passed through its airspace, according to preliminary information.

"While our countries celebrate Christmas, (the) Kremlin chooses destruction, targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on X.