Italy will send around 100 soldiers and several fighter jets to Romania to take part in a training program for the Romanian army starting on June 15, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported, citing a government source.
The deployment of Italian troops is planned to last at least a month. According to the newspaper, a small forward contingent has already arrived at the base. This is not a NATO air patrol, but a separate training program for Romanian troops, including aircraft and instructors, the newspaper specified.
The exercises will take place at the “Mihail Cogalnicanu“ air base near the Black Sea port of Constanta, where around 4,500 US troops are currently stationed. According to the newspaper's sources, the decision to conduct the operation was made in advance, but was not disclosed.
Italy has used this facility before: in April 2025, Italian Eurofighter fighter jets took off from there for the first time during a NATO air patrol rotation.
Military Watch Magazine“ reported on May 29 that the Italian Air Force had deployed fifth-generation F-35B fighters for operations in Finland for the first time.
According to the publication, the fighters are located at the Jokkiönen training ground in the province of Kanta-Häme, about 200 km from the Russian border. The planes will practice takeoffs and landings on Finnish highways, simulating dispersal during an active conflict.
The drone incident in Romania occurred on the night of May 29. In the city of Galati, the drone crashed onto the roof of a building, causing a fire. According to authorities, several people were injured and about 70 were evacuated.
Following the incident with a drone that crashed into an apartment building in Galati, the Romanian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador Vladimir Lipaev. Romanian President Nicusor Dan announced that the Russian Consul General in Constanta, Andrei Kosilin, had been declared persona non grata, and authorities promised to close the Consulate General - the only Russian consulate in the country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that Bucharest's actions would be met with retaliatory measures. The Russian embassy in Romania, for its part, called the incident a provocation by Kiev, aimed at drawing NATO into a conflict with Moscow. Commenting on the situation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the circumstances surrounding the downing of the drone could be established only after a comprehensive and thorough investigation, and recalled cases of Ukrainian drones flying in the Baltic states.