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Romania scrambled NATO fighter jets after a drone entered its airspace during a major Russian missile and drone attack on neighbouring Ukraine.
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Romania’s Defence Ministry said military radar detected a group of aerial targets close to the Ukrainian border, north of the eastern county of Tulcea, at 02:23 local time on Thursday.
Two Spanish F-18 fighter jets in Romania as part of NATO’s air policing mission were scrambled to monitor the situation, while a Romanian IAR-330 SOCAT military helicopter was sent on a reconnaissance mission.
Authorities also issued an alert to people in the affected area.
The ministry said that at 03:21 a drone crossed into Romanian airspace about 13 kilometres east of Galați, a city close to the borders with Ukraine and Moldova.
Three minutes later, the Romanian helicopter crew reported that the drone had crashed about four kilometres north-east of the village of Grindu in Tulcea County.
The impact sparked a fire, which extinguished itself. No casualties or damage were reported and a military team was sent to secure the crash site.
Romania has not yet identified the origin of the drone.
The incident comes just four days after a Spanish F-18 shot down another drone after it entered Romanian airspace from Moldova.
Romania did not identify that aircraft either, although a NATO spokesperson said it appeared to be Russian. At thte time it was reported that it was the fourth drone shot down over Romania this year, after Romanian F-16s intercepted three Russian drones in July.
Romania, a member of both NATO and the European Union, shares a long border with Ukraine and has repeatedly reported Russian drones entering its airspace or debris falling on its territory since Moscow launched its invasion in 2022.
Poland also mobilised military aircraft and activated air defence systems during Thursday’s Russian attacks on Ukraine, particularly in areas close to its border.
Additional sources • AFP
