“The violation of Romanian airspace by Russian drones is yet another unacceptable breach of an E.U.
“This continued reckless escalation threatens regional security.” Romania, a NATO member, had said late Saturday that its air force had detected a Russian drone in the country’s air space.
About 20 minutes later, they detected the drone in Romanian airspace.
The scrambling of NATO fighter jets in response to the Russian drone incursion of Polish airspace marked the first time in the alliance’s history that alliance fighters had engaged enemy targets in a member’s airspace, officials said.
In September 2023, Romania said that debris from a Russian drone had landed on its soil across the Danube River from Ukraine.
Following a Russian drone flying through Romanian airspace on Sunday—the second incursion over a NATO nation in less than a week—the head of the European Union’s foreign policy charged Moscow with “reckless escalation.”.
After more than a dozen Russian drones entered Polish airspace last week, NATO sent fighter jets to shoot some of the drones down, raising tensions in the skies over Eastern Europe. Western officials denounced the incident, claiming it was an escalation of the war in Ukraine. When combined, the episodes highlight the ways in which drones are influencing the conflict in Ukraine beyond its boundaries.
Kallas, Kaja, the E. U. Following the event in Romania the previous day, the head of foreign policy echoed those sentiments on Sunday.
“This is yet another unacceptable breach of an E by Russian drones violating Romanian airspace. U. She posted on social media, “Sovereignty of member states.”. “Regular security is at risk due to this careless escalation.”. “.”.
NATO member Romania announced late Saturday that its air force had found a Russian drone in its airspace. The nation had deployed two F-16 aircraft just after 6 p.m., according to a statement from the Defense Ministry. M. to keep an eye on Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian infrastructure close to the Romanian border at local time. They discovered the drone in Romanian airspace about twenty minutes later.
The ministry said in a statement that the drone did not fly over “populated areas and did not pose an imminent threat to the civilian population.”.
While its pilots had “received authorization to shoot down” the drone, the defense ministry said in a statement on Sunday that “at the moments when they had direct contact, they assessed the collateral risks and decided not to open fire.”. The ministry denounced what it described as Russia’s “irresponsible actions,” stating that they amount to a fresh threat to the stability and security of the Black Sea region. “”.
Oana-Silvia Toiu, the foreign minister of Romania, claimed on social media that the Romanian Air Force had followed the Russian drone through Romanian airspace for fifty minutes before it departed without causing any harm or casualties. “Unacceptable and reckless” is how she described the intrusion. “”.
The Russian ambassador has been called to discuss the drone invasion, Romania’s foreign ministry announced on social media on Sunday.
The Romanian remarks have not received a public response from the Russian Defense Ministry as of Sunday evening. Additionally, NATO made no comment.
According to officials, the NATO fighter jets’ hasty reaction to the Russian drone invasion of Polish airspace was the first time the alliance has ever had its fighters engage enemy targets in a member’s airspace.
In response to the incident, Poland’s government invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, a rarely used mechanism that initiates a formal discussion within the alliance when a member is threatened.
Russia claimed that its drones had lost their course due to jammed navigation systems and denied targeting Poland.
Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, stated during a U.N. meeting that “no targets were marked on Polish territory.”. “N.”. Friday’s Security Council. He further asserted—falsely—that Russian drones were incapable of entering Polish airspace.
This weekend’s invasion was not the first time a Russian drone has entered Romanian territory.
Romania reported in September 2023 that debris from a Russian drone had fallen on its territory across the Danube River from Ukraine. In an effort to prevent Ukraine from exporting its agricultural goods through a route that runs down the river and into the Black Sea, Russia has been carrying out a series of drone attacks on Ukrainian grain ports on the Danube delta every night.
Additionally, in September 2024, Romania’s Defense Ministry announced that it had discovered pieces of Russian drones that had landed on the Danube River’s banks.
Regarding the alleged Russian drone invasion of Romania on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on social media that the Russian military “knows exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can operate in the air.”. “.”.
“This cannot be an accident, a coincidence, or the initiative of some weaker commanders,” he continued. “It is clear that Russia is escalating the conflict, and they behave in this manner. Little steps at first, followed by significant losses. “.”.
The Ukrainian military claimed hours later that its unpiloted aircraft had attacked the Kirishi refinery outside of St. Five hundred miles away from Ukraine is Petersburg. Three drones were shot down, according to Russian region governor Aleksandr Drozdenko, and the plant caught fire as a result of falling debris. It was unclear at first how much damage had been done, but according to Mr. Dot Drozdenko, the fire had been put out by later Sunday morning.
Ukraine has hit Russian energy infrastructure, including oil refineries, on several occasions, but Sunday’s target was especially important. Northwestern Russia’s only significant oil refinery, Kirishi, is among the biggest in the nation and produces roofing materials, paraffin, and motor fuel.
Ephrat Livni and Maria Varenikova provided reporting assistance.
