Russian drone breach triggers NATO scramble response

During the night attack by Russia on Ukraine, a Russian drone entered the airspace of NATO country Romania. Two F-16 aircraft were scrambled to monitor the drone's flight. The search for the drone's remains is ongoing.

As reported by the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) of Romania on Sunday morning, during the night of September 7-8, the "radar observation system identified and tracked the route of the drone, which entered the national airspace and then left the country's territory towards Ukraine."

Two Romanian F-16s from the Borcea base were scrambled to monitor the flight of the Russian unmanned aerial vehicle.

According to the Romanian ministry, in an uninhabited area near the town of Periprava, there was a "probability of an impact zone," which means that fragments of the Russian drone might have fallen there.

The search and investigative activities are ongoing. The ministry emphasized that allied structures were kept informed of the situation.

According to earlier media reports, residents of regions bordering Ukraine, in the Tulcea and Constanța counties, received Ro-Alert phone alerts at night, warning of a possible air threat and urging them to take cover.

In July, the Romanian Ministry of Defense confirmed the discovery of the remains of a Russian Geran 1/2 (Shahed) drone near the town of Plauru, close to the Ukrainian border.

It was noted that the machine's remains were found in one of three designated locations, and all risk areas are outside inhabited regions.