Romania condemns Russian drone violation of its airspace
Country’s defence minister calls Russia’s behaviour ‘reckless’ after second breach of Nato territory in a week
A Russian drone entered Romania’s airspace and was tracked by its air force for nearly an hour before leaving, the country’s defence minister said on Sunday, condemning Moscow’s second breach of Nato territory within a week.
The incident on Saturday came three days after a swarm of about 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, prompting Nato fighter jets to shoot them down in the most serious incident between the US-led military alliance and Moscow since the all-out invasion of Ukraine.
The Polish incident pushed Nato to launch a new operation to bolster its eastern defences.
Romanian defence minister Ionuț Moșteanu said the country’s air force had tracked a Russian-made Geran drone flying over the east of the country on Saturday.
“Romania condemns Russia’s reckless behaviour, which threatens regional stability,” the minister said. “Together with our Nato allies, we remain vigilant and ready to defend every inch of allied airspace.”
In a separate statement on Sunday, Moșteanu said the government had analysed the situation and received a briefing from the pilot leading the F-16 formation that engaged the drone, but decided not to eliminate it.
“The pilots had the permission to shoot down the drone, but in the moments they had direct contact they assessed the collateral risks and decided not to open fire,” he said. “It’s a decision of professionalism and responsibility.”
The new Nato mission, called Eastern Sentry, began on Friday evening and will run for an undisclosed amount of time involving military assets from countries including Denmark, France, Germany and the UK.
“The Romanian army will continue its preparation and supply plans and the Eastern Sentry initiative announced on Friday by Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte will lead to the increase of defence and deterrence capacities on the eastern flank,” Moșteanu said.
Most European nations see the Russian breaches of Nato countries’ airspace as a direct challenge from Moscow, but the US has questioned whether Wednesday’s breach of Polish airspace was intentional.
US President Donald Trump has suggested the Polish incident “could have been a mistake”, prompting a sharp rebuke from Poland’s PM Donald Tusk, who wrote on X on Friday: “We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it.”
Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavský on Sunday said the Romanian incident reinforced the idea that Russia’s breaches of Nato airspace were not accidental.
“Russia continues to provoke,” Lipavský wrote on X. “Last night, it was Romania. I do not believe in Russian ‘mistakes.’ As Nato allies, we remain vigilant. Russia must pay a concrete price for its provocations against Nato. That is why [the Czech Republic] supports further sanctions [on Russia].”
Romania has been alarmed by Russian attacks on Ukrainian facilities very near its border with Ukraine along the Danube delta.
These have occasionally led to drones or debris landing on Romanian soil, but the Black Sea nation had not, until Saturday, had to deal with a sustained presence of a drone in Romanian airspace before.