Romania Again Raised F-16 Fighter Jets on Alert and Issued a Public Warning on Wednesday Night, February 25, After a Russian Drone Briefly Entered Its National Airspace During New Attacks on Ukrainian Ports on the Danube. The Romanian Ministry of Defense Announced This, Stressing That There Are No Reports of Casualties or Material Damage, Romania Insider Reports.
According to the Ministry, on February 25, Russia Carried Out Airstrikes on Ukrainian Port Infrastructure on the Danube River. Romanian military radars detected a drone near the country's airspace, which prompted the preemptive activation of air defense systems.
At around 17:50, two F-16 fighter jets based at Fetești airbase were scrambled in accordance with standard air control procedures. At 18:07, a warning was also sent via the RO-Alert system to residents of the northern part of Tulcea County.
According to the official announcement, the drone briefly entered Romanian airspace in the area of the settlement of Sfantu Gheorghe, without endangering human life, and then left north of Sulina, flying only over territorial waters. The alert was lifted at around 6:45 p.m., with no aircraft debris found in the area.
The Defense Ministry condemned the ongoing Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, calling them a serious violation of international law and a threat to regional security. Since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, Romania has recorded more than ten cases of drones entering its airspace. In January this year, fragments, presumably from a drone, were found in the yard of a house in Vrancea County.