NATO scrambles fighter jets after suspected unmanned aerial vehicle approaches Romania, as concerns grow that Russia’s war against Ukraine will spill over
NATO fighter jets were scrambled after a suspected unmanned aerial vehicle approached Romania, raising fresh concerns that Russia’s war against Ukraine could spill into alliance territory.
Fighter jets scramble over aerial target
Romania’s defense ministry said that two Spanish Air and Space Force F-18 jets were scrambled from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base 57 after an aerial target was detected roughly two miles east of Vylkove, a Ukrainian city near the Romanian border.
Residents in northern Romania’s Tulcea County were warned about the possibility of falling objects and urged to seek shelter. Officials did not specify whether the suspected drone ente red Romanian airspace.
“There is a possibility of falling objects from the airspace. Keep calm! Take shelter in cellars or civil protection shelters. In the absence of a shelter, stay inside the house, away from windows and exterior walls,” an alert from Romania’s General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations said, according to a translation.
Various other incidents
The incident followed a similar alert in Tulcea County, where two aerial targets were detected roughly 16 miles from Snake Island in the Black Sea near the Danube Delta.
Explosions were reported on the Ukrainian side of the border, although Romanian officials said there was no reported breach of the country’s airspace during that incident.
Drone incursions have become a growing concern for NATO members bordering Ukraine. Russia has largely been blamed for the incidents, although Ukrainian drones have also crossed into allied territory after officials said they were pushed off course by Russian electronic jamming.
Romania’s defense ministry website listed 43 drone breaches of its airspace since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Four drones have been shot down, while officials have recorded 125 attacks near the Romanian border. Twenty-six border breaches have been recorded this year.
Drone activity in the region
The latest developments follow more drone activity in the region. Ukraine’s state border service said Russian forces attacked the Vynohradivka road border with Moldova using a Shahed drone.
Moldova is not a NATO member, but its border with Ukraine and the Russian-backed breakaway region of Transnistria make it particularly sensitive as the conflict continues.
Ukrainian media also reported that an unidentified drone entered Moldovan airspace from Ukraine during Russian attacks on targets in the Odesa region.
The drone reportedly traveled across Moldova before entering Romania, prompting Romanian forces to scramble two F-16 fighter jets from Borcea Air Base and deploy an IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter in response.