Romania on Sunday strongly condemned the violation of its airspace by a Russian drone during an attack on neighbouring Ukraine. The NATO country has repeatedly reported drone fragments crashing into its territory since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, particularly as Moscow has intensified strikes on Ukrainian ports.
In a statement after Saturday’s incident, the Romanian defence ministry said it “strongly condemns the irresponsible actions of the Russian Federation and stresses that they pose a new challenge to regional security and stability in the Black Sea region.” It added that “such incidents demonstrate that the Russian Federation does not respect international law.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also denounced the incident, calling it an “irresponsible” threat to security. “This continuous, irresponsible escalation endangers regional security. We stand in solidarity with Romania. I am in close contact with the Romanian government,” she wrote on X.
According to the ministry, the drone remained in Romanian airspace for about 50 minutes, flying between the settlements of Chilia Veche and Izmail before exiting near Pardina toward Ukraine. Romanian fighter jets shadowed it throughout, assisted by two German Eurofighter Typhoons that took off from the Mihail Kogălniceanu air base and monitored the skies until 9:30 p.m.
The ministry said Romanian pilots had authorisation to shoot down the drone but chose not to open fire due to the risks involved.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu later wrote on X that she would raise Russia’s actions at the UN General Assembly and call for strict international compliance with sanctions.
