Romania scrambled fighter jets late Saturday after a drone entered its airspace during a Russian strike on neighboring Ukraine, its Ministry of National Defence confirmed. The incident heightened concerns across Eastern Europe as Kyiv accused Moscow of deliberately expanding the war.
The breach triggered a swift response, with Romania deploying two F-16s and two Eurofighters—part of Germany’s NATO air policing mission in the country—while warning citizens to seek shelter. The jets tracked the drone until it “disappeared from radar” near the village of Chilia Veche.
Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu revealed the F-16 pilots were close to intercepting the drone before it exited Romanian skies. Helicopters are now surveying the border region for possible debris. “All current information indicates the drone left Romanian airspace and returned to Ukraine,” Mosteanu told Antena 3 television.
Romania, a NATO and EU member sharing a 650km (400-mile) border with Ukraine, has repeatedly found Russian drone fragments on its territory since the war began. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the drone penetrated about 10km (6 miles) into Romania and operated in NATO airspace for nearly 50 minutes.
“This is an obvious expansion of the war by Russia,” Zelenskyy declared on X, calling for tougher sanctions, tariffs on Russian trade, and stronger collective defense.
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The breach comes amid growing tensions in the region. Poland recently shot down Russian drones over its territory—the first such action by a NATO member during the war—prompting allies to step up air defenses. Sweden condemned the latest incursion, calling it “another unacceptable violation of NATO airspace.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled the incident “dangerous,” though he cautioned it was unclear if Russia deliberately targeted Romania. He said Washington would review evidence with NATO allies before drawing final conclusions.
The development underscores mounting risks as Russian strikes increasingly test NATO’s eastern flank, forcing the alliance to weigh stronger deterrence measures while avoiding direct escalation with Moscow.
