Romania has confirmed that a Russian-made drone breached its airspace during a Russian strike on nearby Ukrainian infrastructure, marking the second NATO country in less than a week to report such an incident. The Romanian Air Force scrambled two F-16 fighters to track the drone as it entered near Tulcea County, eventually leaving Romanian territory without causing casualties or damage.
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Defence Minister Ionuț Moșteanu condemned the violation as a serious threat to regional stability and an unacceptable infringement on NATO territory. The intrusion, which lasted almost 50 minutes, was detected late Saturday near Romania’s border with Ukraine. The drone was tracked from Chilia Veche to Pardina before it departed the airspace.
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Romanian pilots had the authority to engage the target, but a decision was made not to shoot it down, citing concerns over collateral risk. Moșteanu emphasised that while this intelligence-gathering or reconnaissance flight did not cause direct harm, its incursion nonetheless represents a provocative escalation in the larger pattern of Russian incursions near NATO borders.
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Earlier in the week, Poland experienced a much larger wave of drone overflights—about 19 drones entering its airspace in what it described as a serious threat. Polish and NATO forces scrambled jets and deployed defenses in response, prompting Warsaw to invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty. The Romanian incident follows nearly immediately, underlining growing concerns in Eastern Europe about Russia testing alliance reactions.
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Axios
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In response to the Romanian violation, Bucharest summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge a formal protest. Diplomatic pressure is rising as more NATO countries accuse Russian drones of violating airspace, either directly or through drone debris falling across borders. Romania had previously dealt with fragments of Russian drones landing near its borders, but this is among the first recent cases where a drone remained airborne over NATO territory for an extended time.
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The Romanian incident has fueled debate within NATO about whether current air defence and rules of engagement are adequate. One issue is the legal threshold for using force against drones: Romania has recently adopted laws granting its military the authority to shoot down unauthorized drones under certain threat conditions—but only when other risks, such as harm to civilians, are minimal.
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EU and NATO officials have reacted with concern, calling the incursion a “reckless escalation” of military tensions in Eastern Europe. The repeated violations of NATO airspace are seen by many as part of a broader pattern of Russian attempts to probe alliance defenses without triggering a full military response.
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Axios
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As the situation unfolds, NATO is under pressure to respond in a way that deters further breaches while avoiding an escalation. Western allies are reviewing options, including reinforcing aerial surveillance, augmenting air policing missions, and clarifying rules of engagement for drones. For Romania, the immediate tasks will involve bolstering border monitoring, updating counter-drone protocols, and continuing diplomatic pressure.