Russian Drone May Have Intruded Into Romanian Airspace During Overnight Attack on Ukraine, Reports Reuters

A Russian drone may have briefly entered Romanian airspace for less than three minutes during an overnight attack on Ukraine, according to the Romanian defense ministry.

The drone assault targeted the southern Ukrainian town of Izmail, located just across the Danube River from Romania, resulting in three fatalities and 14 injuries, as reported by Odesa regional prosecutors. The Ukrainian air force claimed to have shot down 24 out of 32 drones involved in the attack.

The Romanian ministry noted that its radar system detected the potential incursion of one of the drones into its airspace near the border. In response, Romania deployed two F-16 fighter jets and two Spanish F-18s, which are currently engaged in air policing missions across the country. Residents of the southeastern Romanian county of Tulcea were advised to take cover during the incident.

Romania shares a 650-kilometer (400-mile) border with Ukraine and has experienced incidents of Russian drone fragments landing on its territory over the past year, primarily after being intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses.

This latest development follows incidents earlier this month when both Romania and Latvia reported breaches of their airspace by Russian drones, raising concerns about increased tensions in the region. In response, defense ministers from NATO countries along the eastern flank have called for a unified and coordinated approach to address such breaches, including the establishment of a rotational integrated air and missile defense model.