Romania has condemned a Russian drone breach into its airspace. F‑16s were scrambled as drone entered inside the NATO airspace for 50 minutes. The EU and Ukraine have called for urgent action. (Photo: X/@NicusorDanRO)
Romania has sharply condemned Moscow’s “irresponsible actions” after a Russian drone allegedly breached Romanian airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine, according to a CNN report published Sunday. The incident, in turn, saw Bucharest deploy fighter jets to safeguard Romanian skies amid growing tension along the NATO’s eastern flank.
According to the country’s defense ministry, the drone entered Romanian airspace at around 6:05 pm local time on Saturday during a Russian strike on Ukraine.
Two F‑16 fighter jets — on air patrol in northern Dobruja — were scrambled, the report said, adding that the jets had intermittent contact with the drone, both visually and by radar, and were authorised to shoot it down. However, following the risk assessment of collateral damage, a decision was taken to not open fire.
The drone, the report said, circled for about 50 minutes before exiting the Romanian airspace near the town of Pardina in northern Dobruja and headed back toward Ukraine.
“The Ministry of National Defense firmly condemns the irresponsible actions of the Russian Federation and emphasises that they represent a new challenge to regional security and stability in the Black Sea area,“ the ministry said in its statement, per CNN. It added that the incident showed a “lack of respect for the norms of international law“ and endangered not just Romanian citizens but the collective security of the alliance.
Calling the reported violation “yet another unacceptable breach of an EU member state‘s sovereignty“, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas wrote in a post on X, “This continued reckless escalation threatens regional security. We stand in solidarity with Romania.“
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the drone penetrated about 10 kilometers into the Romanian territory, spending around 50 minutes in the NATO airspace before moving in another direction. He urged stronger sanctions and collective defense in light of the latest violation.
Sunday’s development follows earlier incursion claims in Poland, where Russian drones were shot down for violating Polish airspace. NATO allies responded by pledging to boost defenses along the alliance‘s eastern European border regions.
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