A drone entered Romanian airspace near the Danube Delta on 2 August, prompting the Romanian Air Force to scramble F-16 fighter jets and issue an air raid alert for residents in Tulcea County before the aircraft re-entered Ukraine, where it was shot down by Ukrainian forces.
The incident comes a week after Romania shot down three drones during Russian attacks on Ukraine that crossed into its airspace, ending years of merely escorting such intrusions.
Romania's Ministry of National Defence said radar detected the aerial target near the country's river border with Ukraine at 15:09 local time. Two F-16s from the 86th Air Base at Borcea took off eight minutes later to monitor the situation, while authorities sent a RO-Alert warning to residents in Tulcea County.
According to the ministry, the drone flew for about 20 minutes over Romania's territorial waters and along the Sulina branch of the Danube while remaining in Romanian airspace before crossing back into Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces subsequently shot down the drone, Romanian authorities said.
Drone debris lands near Romanian border
Romania said drone debris fell on agricultural land near the village of Periprava, around one kilometer from the Ukrainian border.
No casualties or property damage were reported, and the air raid alert for Tulcea County was lifted at 16:05.
The Romanian military did not identify the drone or say whether it had entered Romanian airspace intentionally or while flying toward targets in Ukraine.
Latest in a series of cross-border incidents
The incident comes just a week after Romania abandoned its long-standing practice of merely monitoring drones that entered its airspace during Russian attacks on Ukraine.
Between 24 and 26 July, Romanian F-16s shot down three drones that violated the country's airspace – the first known interceptions of their kind by the Romanian Air Force. Romanian prosecutors later identified at least one of the aircraft as a Russian Shahed attack drone, prompting Bucharest to prepare a formal diplomatic protest to Moscow.
Romania hits cost trap Ukraine spent years escaping: $400,000 missiles against $20,000 drones
Romania's shift reflects growing concern over repeated Russian drone incursions during attacks on Ukraine's Danube ports, which lie just across the river from NATO territory. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, drone debris has repeatedly fallen on Romanian soil, and in May a Russian Geran-2 drone struck a residential building in Galați, injuring civilians.
Unlike the previous three incidents, Romanian fighters did not engage the drone on 2 August, with Ukrainian forces ultimately shooting it down after it left Romanian airspace.
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