Romania’s defence ministry said a Russian drone breached its airspace on Saturday, marking the second NATO member to report such an incursion this week after Poland.
Two Romanian F-16 fighters were monitoring the country's border with Ukraine during Russian air strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure along the Danube when the unmanned aircraft was detected about 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) southwest of the village of Chilia Veche, the ministry said. The drone disappeared from radar after being tracked and did not fly over populated areas or pose an immediate danger, the statement added. Moscow had not commented on Romania’s allegation as of the ministry’s statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the incursion "could not be a mistake" and called it "an obvious expansion of the war by Russia," reiterating appeals for tighter Western sanctions on Moscow. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has continued to carry out air strikes and attacks across the country.
Earlier in the week, Poland said it had shot down at least three Russian drones that entered its airspace on Wednesday. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X that "preventative operations of aviation — Polish and allied — have begun in our airspace" and that ground-based air-defence systems had been placed at the highest state of readiness.
Russia’s defence ministry has previously said there were "no plans" to target facilities on Polish soil. Belarus, a close Russian ally, said the drones that entered Polish airspace were accidental after their navigation systems were jammed.
In response to the incidents, the Czech Republic announced on Sunday that it had sent a special operations helicopter unit to Poland composed of three Mi-171S helicopters, each capable of transporting up to 24 personnel and equipped for combat operations. Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said the deployment was in response to what she described as incursions into NATO’s eastern flank.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week he was "ready" to impose tougher sanctions on Russia but framed additional measures as contingent on conditions such as countries ceasing purchases of Russian oil. Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly urged Western governments to expand and tighten sanctions.
Romania's detection follows a week of heightened tensions along NATO’s eastern border with Ukraine, as alliance members and partners monitor and respond to cross-border incidents linked to the war. NATO officials and member states have stressed the importance of vigilance and coordination while investigations into the recent drone movements continue.