The drone was in orbit for about 50 minutes before leaving Romanian airspace near the city of Pardina, northern Dobruja, towards Ukraine.
Romania condemned Moscow’s “irresponsible actions” after reporting that one violated Romanian airspace during an attack on neighboring Ukraine, which led Buccarest to send combat planes.
The Russian drone used in the attacks on Ukraine entered Romanian airspace at 18:05 Saturday – 16:05 in Lisbon – according to the Romanian Ministry of Defense.
The incident occurs days after Poland had to violate their airspace earlier this week, which led NATO allies to commit to reinforcing defenses on the eastern flank of the alliance.
The drone was intercepted by two, who were performing an air patrol mission in northern Dobruja and, according to the ministry, were near the slaughter.
The drone was in orbit for about 50 minutes, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, before leaving the national airspace near the city of Pardina, north of Dobruja, towards Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense did not comment on the allegations.
The F -16 fighters had intermittent contact with the drone – visually and radar – according to the statement. The pilots received permission for the slaughter, but decided not to open fire after evaluating the collateral risks.
“The Ministry of National Defense firmly condemns the irresponsible actions of the Russian Federation and underlines that they represent a new challenge to regional security and stability in the Black Sea Zone,” the statement says.
The ministry added that the incident demonstrates a “lack of respect for the rules of international law” by Russia. The incident also endangers the safety of Romanian citizens and the collective security of the NATO, the ministry added.
Kaja Kallas, an EU representative for Foreign Affairs and security policy, condemned the violation of Romanian airspace as “another unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of an EU member state.”
“This continuous and reckless climb threatens regional security,” Kallas wrote in a post at X. “We are jointly and severally with Romania. I am in close contact with the Romanian government.”
The violation of Romanian airspace by Russian drones is yet another unacceptable breach of an EU Member State’s sovereignty.
This continued reckless escalation threatens regional security.
We stand in solidarity with Romania. I am in close contact with the Romanian government.
– Kaja Kallas (@kajallas)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in the X on Saturday: “Today, Romania sent combat planes because of a Russian drone in its airspace. According to current data, the drone penetrated about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) in Romanian territory and operated on NATO’s air space for about 50 minutes.”
In the light of the incident, Zelensky reiterated appeals to sanctions against Russia and collective defense. “Don’t wait for dozens of ‘shaheds’ and ballistic missiles to finally make decisions,” he said.
Today, Romania scrambled combat aircraft because of a Russian drone in its airspace. According to current data, the drone penetrated about 10 kilometers into Romanian territory and operated in NATO airspace for around 50 minutes. Also today, Poland responded militarily to the…
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@zelenskyyua)
