Drones and reactions
Just a few days after several Russian drones entered the Polish airspace, a Russian drone also entered the Romanian airspace.
Daniela Budu, 15.09.2025, 14:00
A Geran drone used by the Russian Federation in the attacks on Ukraine entered the Romanian airspace on Saturday, flying over the eastern part of the country for about 50 minutes. The incident occurred just days after several Russian drones violated the Polish airspace, Poland shooting down several of them and labelling the incursion as a testing of NATO by Russia. In Romania, two F-16 aircraft were ordered to shoot it down, but the pilots decided not to fire due to the collateral risks. Two German Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft also intervened in the mission. The authorities said the drone did not fly over populated areas and did not pose a direct threat to the population in the area, who received two RO ALERT messages.
The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) has firmly protested against this unacceptable and irresponsible act, which represents a violation of Romania’s sovereignty. The Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Bucharest was summoned to the MAE headquarters on Sunday. According to the ministry, such recurring situations lead to the escalation and amplification of threats to the regional security situation. The Russian side was asked to take all necessary measures without delay to avoid future violations of the country’s airspace. Romania is in permanent contact with its allies and other EU members, the MAE also specifies. The embassy rejected the accusations, stating, without providing any evidence, that the incident was a provocation by Ukraine. The head of Romanian diplomacy, Oana Ţoiu, said that she would raise the issue of Russia’s action at the UN General Assembly, where she would demand strict compliance with international sanctions. The Ministry of National Defense also firmly condemns the irresponsible actions of the Russian Federation and emphasizes that they represent a new challenge to regional security and stability in the Black Sea area.
According to the Defense Ministry, ‘such incidents demonstrate the Russian Federation’s lack of respect for the norms of international law and endanger not only the safety of Romanian citizens, but also the collective security of NATO. Romania remains firmly committed to fulfilling its obligations as a member state of the Alliance and will continue to collaborate closely with partners and allies to monitor and defend national airspace,’ the ministry also reports. Data transmitted by the Defense Ministry shows that since February 2022, when Russia triggered the armed conflict in Ukraine, 52 drone attacks have taken place near Romania’s borders, and in more than half of these, fragments also reached the territory of our country.
The European officials have expressed solidarity with Bucharest after Saturday’s incident. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Russia’s incursion into Romania’s airspace was yet another blatant violation of EU sovereignty and a serious threat to regional security. “We express our solidarity with Romania,” the officials said. The foreign ministers of Sweden and the Czech Republic also sent similar messages. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was “testing” Romania’s defense. (LS)
