Romania becomes second NATO country to report Russian drone in its airspace; EU condemns intrusion

Romania has become the second NATO country to report a Russian drone intrusion.

Romanian fighter jets observed a Russian attack on Ukraine on Saturday and were able to locate the drone near Ukraine’s southern border, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Romania’s foreign minister criticized the incursion as “unacceptable and reckless,” while no damage or injuries were reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the incursion could not have been a mistake — it was “a clear expansion of the war by Russia.”

Moscow has not commented on the Romanian allegations.

On Wednesday, Poland said it had shot down at least three Russian drones that had entered its airspace.

“This continued reckless escalation threatens regional security,” said Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas.

European Union leaders criticized Moscow on Sunday for the second violation of EU territory in less than a week after a Russian drone violated Romanian airspace during an attack in southern Ukraine.

“Russia’s intrusion into Romanian airspace is yet another flagrant violation of EU sovereignty and a serious threat to regional security,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet on X.

EU Foreign Affairs Representative Kaia Kallas described Saturday’s intervention in Romania as “another unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of an EU member state” in a separate tweet on X.

“This continued reckless escalation threatens regional security,” she said.

Europe’s eastern borders were already on high alert after NATO forces shot down 19 Russian drones that had entered Polish airspace last Wednesday.

On Saturday, two Romanian F-16 fighter jets spotted a Russian drone over Romanian territory while conducting a reconnaissance exercise to monitor Russian air strikes beyond the Ukrainian border./The Geopost/