Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets on Friday after Russian drones targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region, close to the Romanian border, the country’s Ministry of Defence said.
According to the ministry, the jets were deployed at around 11:50 a.m. from the 86th Air Base in Fetești to monitor the airspace near northern Tulcea County, which borders Ukraine along the Danube River, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
At noon, authorities issued a public alert warning residents in northern Tulcea of a potential risk from falling debris. The warning was lifted at 12:22 p.m. Officials stressed that no unauthorized incursions into Romanian airspace were detected during the incident.
Romanian media reported that the alert took many residents by surprise, with locals saying there were no designated shelters available. A similar warning had been issued on New Year’s Day, though Romanian authorities said the country’s airspace was not violated at that time either.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russian drones were detected over the Black Sea around 11:40 a.m., heading toward the town of Vylkove in the Odesa region.
On New Year’s Eve, Russian forces struck two energy facilities in Ukraine’s Odesa region. DTEK, the country’s largest private energy company, described the damage as “colossal.”
Fires at the affected substations were extinguished before the New Year, after which repair work began. The facilities supply electricity to residents in Odesa’s Prymorskyi and Khadzhybeiskyi districts.