Romania Spots Russian Drone, First in NATO's Airspace

Tue Oct 21 2025 04:32:55 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a significant escalation, Romania has reported a Russian drone incursion, marking it as the second NATO country to face such a breach. This incident raises alarms about security in Eastern Europe amidst ongoing tensions.

Romania's defense ministry announced that a Russian drone was detected in its airspace, just 20 km from the Ukrainian border. Romanian fighter jets were monitoring the area due to ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelensky described the incursion as a deliberate act, signaling an expansion of the war. Poland has also reported similar incursions, heightening NATO's security concerns.

Romania has confirmed that a Russian drone has breached its airspace, making it the second NATO country to report such an incident. Romanian fighter jets, which were monitoring operations related to Russia's ongoing assault on Ukraine, tracked the drone near Ukraine's southern border, according to a statement from the defense ministry.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the incursion, claiming it could not have been accidental, labeling it ‘an obvious expansion of the war by Russia’. Moscow has yet to comment on these claims.

This latest incident follows Poland's earlier report of downing three Russian drones that had entered its territory. Reacting to these threats, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk noted that preventative aviation operations were ramping up in Polish airspace as ground-based air defense systems were put on high alert.

Romania’s defense statement noted that the drone was detected about 20 km southwest of the village of Chilia Veche, but it posed no threat as it did not fly over populated areas before disappearing from radar. The Romanian F-16 jets detected the drone while monitoring Russian air attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure along the Danube.

Additionally, the Czech Republic has begun deploying a special operations helicopter unit to Poland in response to heightened tensions between NATO and Russia. With drone incidents continuing to indicate a rise in conflict, President Zelensky emphasized that the Russian military is fully aware of their drone operations.

The situation unfolds as the world watches closely, particularly with US President Trump announcing readiness to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, conditional on NATO countries decreasing their oil purchases from the nation.