Bucharest: NATO members Romania and Poland scrambled fighter jets on Wednesday in response to Russian attacks in neighboring Ukraine, with Romania reporting that a drone had breached its airspace. Moldova, situated between Romania and Ukraine, also reported a drone incursion and summoned the Russian ambassador in protest.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Romania and Moldova have frequently experienced airspace violations, including drone fragments landing on their territory, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On Wednesday, Romania's defense ministry reported that after Russian air strikes on Ukraine, a drone signal was detected entering about eight kilometers into Romanian airspace before disappearing from radar. The drone reappeared intermittently for approximately 12 minutes, prompting phone alerts to residents in the affected areas. Two Romanian Air Force F-16s were scrambled, and no aircraft impact with the ground was reported. Specialists are prepared to begin ground searches.
Moldova also reported its airspace was breached by a drone during the night and announced plans to summon the Russian ambassador on Thursday to express its "firm protest" over the "serious violation of national sovereignty." The Moldovan defense ministry confirmed that a drone flew over its national airspace at a low altitude of approximately 100 meters and was not detected on monitoring systems.
Poland, having previously shot down drones that violated its airspace in September, scrambled jets early on Wednesday following Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory. The Operational Command of the Armed Forces stated that alert fighter pairs and an early warning aircraft were scrambled, and radar reconnaissance systems were on high alert. However, no airspace breaches were reported.
Earlier this week, Romania ordered the evacuation of two villages after a Russian drone attack across the Danube River in Ukraine set fire to a ship carrying liquefied petroleum gas. This was the first evacuation in Romania due to the war in Ukraine, and the order was lifted on Tuesday.