On Saturday, the Romanian Ministry of Defense stated that when Russia launched attacks on the infrastructure along the Ukrainian border, a drone briefly intruded into Romanian airspace, prompting military forces to scramble fighter jets.
Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu revealed that two F-16 fighter jets were on the verge of shooting down the drone, but due to its low altitude, the drone eventually left Romanian airspace and returned to Ukraine. The military also deployed two German Eurofighter jets and issued warnings for residents near the Ukrainian border in Tulcea County to evacuate. The drone eventually disappeared from radar about 20 kilometers southwest of Chilia Veche.
Romania, as a member of the European Union and NATO with a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine, has discovered Russian-made drone debris multiple times since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
On the same day, the eastern city of Lublin in Poland closed its airport and deployed fighter jets due to drone threats. Three days prior, with NATO support, Poland shot down several Russian drones that had entered its airspace, marking the first instance of a NATO member firing shots on its territory since the Russia-Ukraine war began.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on social media platform X stating that data showed the drone had penetrated approximately 10 kilometers into Romanian territory and flew in NATO airspace for about 50 minutes. He emphasized, “This is a clear escalation of Russia’s war. More sanctions and trade tariffs must be imposed on Russia, and collective defense needs to be strengthened.”
NATO announced on Friday that it would enhance defense in the eastern flank. The Romanian parliament recently passed legislation allowing the military to shoot down unauthorized drones during peacetime, but the specifics have yet to be implemented.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard condemned the incident on X as “another unacceptable violation of NATO airspace” and declared that Sweden “stands firmly with Romania and is ready to enhance NATO deterrence and defense at any time.”
(This article referenced reports from Reuters)