Romania confirmed that Russian attack drone had entered its territory

During the Russian air attacks on Ukraine on the night of September 8, a Russian attack drone Shahed flew into Romanian airspace. The Romanian Ministry of National Defence reported this incident.

The defence ministry noted that after warnings from residents of the border counties of Tulcea and Constanta about a possible air threat, the Romanian Air Force raised two F-16 fighters “to monitor the air situation.”

“During these events, a radar surveillance system detected and tracked the route of a drone that appeared in national airspace and left the national territory in the direction of Ukraine,” the statement said.

“Starting at 2.25 am, two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force took off from the 86 Borcea Air Base to monitor the air situation. In the course of these events, the radar surveillance system identified and tracked the route of a drone that had evolved in the national airspace and left the national territory towards Ukraine,” Romanian defense ministry reported.

The Romanian side suggests that the drone could have crashed in a deserted area near the village of Periprava in Tulcea County, where a search operation is currently underway.

“The Ministry of National Defence strongly condemns these attacks carried out by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian civilian objects and infrastructure, which are unjustified and seriously contrary to international law,” the Romanian Defence Ministry emphasised.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force also reported that Russian drones had violated Romanian airspace.

This is not the first time Romania has reported a threat of Russian drones crashing near the Ukrainian border. For example, in July, amid a massive air attack, Romania was raising F-16 fighter jets.