Romania says a Russian drone has breached its airspace—becoming the second NATO country to report such an incursion.
Romanian fighter jets were monitoring Russian attacks in Ukraine when they tracked the drone near Ukraine's southern border, as announced by the defense ministry.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remarked that this incursion cannot be dismissed as a mistake, asserting it as an obvious expansion of the war by Russia. Meanwhile, Moscow has yet to comment.
Earlier, Poland reported that it shot down at least three Russian drones that entered its airspace.
In its statement, Romania's defense ministry explained that the drone was detected when two F-16 jets were conducting surveillance along the border with Ukraine, following ongoing Russian air strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure near the Danube.
The drone was identified approximately 20km south-west of Chilia Veche before vanishing from radar, and importantly, it did not traverse populated regions or present an immediate threat.
In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that both Polish and allied aviation operations are on high alert, with ground-based air defense systems at peak readiness.
The situation escalates as the Czech Republic has deployed a special operations helicopter unit to Poland in response to Russian incursions across NATO's Eastern border.
President Zelensky asserts that the Russian military is fully aware of its drone operations, reiterating calls for tighter sanctions on Moscow.
In related remarks, US President Donald Trump expressed readiness to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, contingent on NATO members halting their purchases of Russian oil.
The conflict follows Russia's extensive invasion of Ukraine, which commenced in February 2022, with recent military operations intensifying post a summit between Trump and President Putin.
