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14 April, 13:14
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Romania scrambles fighter over Russian drone threat on border

Romania on Tuesday scrambled fighter jets and put its air defence on high alert due to Russian attack drones heading to strike targets near border with Ukraine.

In a statement released on April 14, the Romanian Defence Ministry citied resumed Russian attacks on targets near Romanian-Ukrainian border along the Danube River as the reason for activation of air defence systems.

After a group of UAVs was identified near the airspace north of Vylkove close to Romania, the National Military Command Centre alerted the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. As a result, authorities activated public warning procedures in northern Tulcea County, and a RO-Alert message was issued at 03:48, according to the statement.

In response to the potential threat, two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were launched from the Fetești air base to conduct air patrols, while national air defence systems were simultaneously put on heightened alert.

The Ministry of Defence later clarified that no breaches of Romanian sovereign airspace were detected during the incident. The alert status was lifted at 04:45 after the situation was assessed and considered resolved.

Over the course of the ongoing large-scale war, Russian-made Shahed-type drones have repeatedly ended up on the Romanian side of the Danube, sometimes as a result of being downed or deviating from their intended paths, and on certain occasions have even penetrated further inland.

Following these early occurrences, Romanian authorities began regularly issuing air-raid warnings in settlements along the Danube border region, and the deployment of interceptor aircraft gradually became a standard defensive response.

In one notable incident, a drone similar to a Gerbera model reportedly travelled several dozen kilometres into Romanian territory before crashing near a residential property.

Romania, along with Bulgaria, has also had to deal with drifting sea mines that occasionally break free and reach their coastlines, with Bucharest attributing responsibility for these hazards to Russia.