Romanian Airspace Breached by Russian Drone

BUCHAREST (Reuters) – A Russian drone may have breached the national airspace of NATO member Romania for “a very brief period of under three minutes” overnight during an attack on neighbouring Ukraine, according to the Romanian defence ministry.

The drone attack targeted the southern Ukrainian town of Izmail, located just across the Danube river from Romania, resulting in three fatalities and injuring 14, as stated by Odesa regional prosecutors. The Ukrainian air force reported shooting down 24 out of 32 drones involved in the attack.

“Romania’s radar system has identified the possibility that one of the drones involved in the attack on Ukraine intersected Romanian air space for a very brief period of under three minutes in… the border area,” the ministry added.

In response, Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets along with two Spanish F-18s, which are currently conducting air policing missions throughout the year. Residents in the southeastern Romanian county of Tulcea were advised to take cover.

Romania shares a 650-km (400-mile) border with Ukraine and has previously reported Russian drone fragments falling onto its territory, predominantly following their destruction by Ukrainian air defences. Over the past year, there have been several incidents of such occurrences.

On September 8, recent breaches of airspace by Russian drones prompted concerns for both Romania and Latvia. Defence ministers from NATO’s eastern nations called for a coordinated response to drone airspace violations, advocating for the implementation of a rotational integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) model.