NATO member Romania scrambled fighter jets on Wednesday over aerial threats near Ukraine’s Snake Island, just days after three drones violated Romanian airspace.
Romania’s Ministry of National Defense said on Wednesday that radar surveillance detected a group of air targets traveling around 12 miles northwest of Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island, at around 10.30 a.m. local time.
Two Romanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon jets—under NATO command—then took off from Romania’s 86th Air Base in Borcea at 10.57 a.m. to monitor the situation.
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“The Ministry of National Defense maintains permanent contact with allied structures and continues real-time monitoring of the airspace at Romania’s borders,” the defense ministry said.
The aerial targets continued into Ukrainian airspace near Romania’s river border, and explosions were later reported, the ministry said.
Newsweek contacted the Russian and Romanian defense ministries for comment by email.
It comes just days after Romanian fighter pilots shot down three Russian drones that breached the country’s airspace on consecutive days between Friday and Sunday last week.
Following the incursions, Romanian President Nicusor Dan wrote on X: “It is inadmissible and intolerable for the Russian Federation to continue violating Romania’s airspace, which is, at the same time, NATO airspace and European Union airspace.”
He added: “Such actions are unacceptable, and we treat them with the utmost seriousness, alongside our allies.”
Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruță wrote on Facebook: “Romania will continue to firmly defend its sovereignty and airspace but these provocations must stop.”
Dan said that the drone shot down on Friday had been identified as a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle. He added that investigations were ongoing into the incidents on Saturday and Sunday.
Russia’s ambassador to Romania, Vladimir Lipaev, was summoned to the Romanian foreign ministry to view the remains of the intercepted drones, and a Russian diplomat was later expelled from the country.
The Russian embassy in Bucharest said this would “not go unanswered” and added that Russia had never directed drones at Romanian targets.
“The diplomat categorically rejected the groundless accusations against Russia, slamming them as another propaganda show meant to prevent further strikes by the Russian armed forces against Ukrainian port infrastructure on the Danube and in the Black Sea, which is actively used by NATO for supplying the Ukrainian army with weapons and equipment via Romania’s territory,” the embassy said, according to the Russian state media agency Tass.
“No evidence was presented to prove that the drones belonged to Russia. None of the questions regarding the technical flight parameters were answered.”
Romania has now reported more than 30 incursions of its airspace by Russian drones since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine in February 2022. Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s port infrastructure on the Danube River, which forms parts of the border between Romania and Ukraine.
Drone incursions into NATO airspace have so far not been treated as attacks on the alliance, meaning they have not triggered formal discussions over a collective response. But the persistent incidents have prompted NATO counties along the alliance’s eastern flank to strengthen their anti-drone defenses.
The growing concern was underscored in May when a Russian drone crashed into an apartment block in the Romanian border city of Galați, injuring two people. In the aftermath, Bucharest said it would urge NATO to fast-track plans to deploy additional military equipment on Romanian territory.
NATO said in a statement: “The shootdowns come as NATO, Romania, and other nations actively acquire ground-based interceptors to enhance allied and national air defense capabilities.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tony Phillips