A Russian drone violates Romanian airspace, and NATO mobilizes in Poland.
Following the precedent of Wednesday's raid, Bucharest has reacted by deploying F-16 fighter jets.
BarcelonaAfter Russian drone incursion into Poland put NATO member states on alert, another drone from Moscow violated Romanian airspace this Saturday during a Russian attack on Ukrainian infrastructure. "The Romanian Air Force intercepted today, September 13, a Russian drone that invaded national airspace," announced Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu.
Bucharest has reacted by deploying two F-16 fighter jets and alerted citizens of the southeastern county of Tulcea, near the Danube and the Ukrainian border, to take cover, according to a statement issued by the Defense Ministry. The Romanian aircraft detected the drone in its airspace and followed it until it disappeared from radar 20 km southwest of the village of Chilia Veche, in Tulcea. "The drone did not fly over inhabited areas and did not pose an immediate danger to the population," the statement added, noting that the law authorizes the shooting down of aircraft that enter the country's airspace without permission.
The Romanians are not the only aircraft deployed by NATO today. The Polish Air Force and its NATO allies mobilized in Poland this Saturday after receiving reports of a possible threat from Russian drones in the regions bordering Ukraine. Polish authorities also closed the airport in the city of Lublin, according to the operational command.
"Maximum alert" in Poland
In a statement, the country's air force stated that "due to the risk of attacks by unmanned aircraft in the regions of Ukraine bordering the Republic of Poland, air force operations have been initiated in our airspace." Furthermore, "all necessary procedures" were implemented: they ordered the deployment of "Polish and allied aircraft" in their airspace and placed ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems on "high alert." According to the statement, the measures were "preventative in nature," aimed at "ensuring the security of the airspace and the protection of citizens, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened area." Furthermore, civil air traffic at Lublin Airport and the surrounding area was closed, according to the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency. After a few hours, however, normal operations resumed.
Russian drone fragments have fallen in both Poland and Romania, which share a border with Ukraine, since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. But today's scare is especially significant as it comes the day after NATO announced the plan in response to the Russian drone incursion into Poland on Wednesday. "Eastern Sentinel will add flexibility and strength to our posture and make it clear that as a defensive alliance, we are always ready to defend ourselves," NATO President Mark Rutte said during the presentation of the initiative.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted with a tweet denouncing the incursion: "The Russian military knows exactly where its drones are heading and how long they can stay in the air," he wrote to X. In response, he called for preventive measures against commercial drones and the creation of a collective defense system with allies. "Don't expect dozens of shaheds [Iranian drones used by Russia] and ballistic missiles before making decisions," he urged.