Romania Confirms Russian Drone Incident in NATO Airspace

Tue Sep 23 2025 09:11:06 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Romania becomes the second NATO country to report an incursion by a Russian drone, raising serious concerns about territorial sovereignty amid ongoing tensions in Ukraine.

Romanian officials have confirmed that a Russian drone breached their airspace while monitoring an ongoing Russian attack in Ukraine. This marks Romania as the second NATO country after Poland to experience such an incident, with both nations increasing their military readiness in response. Ukrainian President Zelensky has described the incursion as a deliberate expansion of Russian aggression, while Romanian authorities state the drone posed no immediate threat to populated areas.

Romania has reported that a Russian drone breached its airspace, marking it as the second NATO country to declare such an incursion. On Saturday, Romanian fighter jets patrolling the border with Ukraine tracked the drone during ongoing monitoring of a Russian assault in Ukraine, according to statements from the defense ministry.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that this violation cannot be construed as accidental, labeling it as an obvious expansion of the war by Russia. There has been no comment from Moscow regarding the Romanian claims.

Earlier in the week, Poland stated it had downed at least three Russian drones that had entered its airspace, indicating a rising pattern of drone incursions by Russia.

Romania’s defense ministry reported detecting the drone approximately 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) south-west of Chilia Veche, though they confirmed it did not fly over populated areas or pose a direct danger. The drone was tracked while Romanian F-16 jets were airborne monitoring the border after Russian attacks targeted Ukrainian infrastructure.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the incident, calling it a yet another unacceptable breach of an EU member state's sovereignty. Following the escalation, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that preventive air operations had commenced in Polish airspace and that ground-based air defense systems were on high alert.

In a statement regarding the latest incursion, President Zelensky emphasized that the Russian military is fully aware of the operational range and intended targets of their drones, continuing to push for tighter sanctions on Moscow from Western nations.

US President Donald Trump also commented on the airspace violations earlier this week, signaling readiness to implement stronger sanctions against Russia under specific conditions, including NATO countries halting their purchases of Russian oil.

The drone breaches come amid an ongoing backdrop of military actions following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with increased scrutiny on the activities of Russian forces along the NATO eastern flank.