Brief Breach: Russian Drone Incursion into NATO Airspace

A Russian drone briefly breached Romanian airspace during an attack on Ukraine. The Romanian defense ministry reported the occurrence, which led to the scrambling of fighter jets. This incident underscores growing concerns over regional security, particularly following repeated drone incursions into Romanian territory.

A Russian drone may have breached the national airspace of NATO member Romania for "a very brief period of under three minutes" overnight during an attack on neighboring Ukraine, according to the Romanian defense ministry. The drone attack on the Ukrainian town of Izmail, across the Danube river from Romania, resulted in three fatalities and 14 injuries.

Romania's radar system detected the possibility of one of the drones intersecting Romanian airspace during the attack. In response, Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and two Spanish F-18s, which are on air policing missions in the country. Residents in the southeastern Romanian county of Tulcea were advised to take cover.

Romania, which shares a 650-km border with Ukraine, has frequently found Russian drone fragments on its territory, often after being intercepted by Ukrainian defenses. The breach has heightened worries over regional security, with Eastern NATO nations calling for a coordinated alliance response to such airspace violations.

(With inputs from agencies.)