Romania has confirmed that a Russian drone entered its airspace, making it the second NATO country this week to report such an incursion.
Fighter jets were scrambled on Saturday as Russian forces carried out strikes near Ukraine’s southern border. The drone was tracked about 20 kilometers from the village of Chilia Veche before disappearing from radar. Officials said it did not pass over populated areas or pose an immediate threat.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the idea that the breach could have been an accident, calling it a deliberate expansion of Russia’s war. Moscow has not commented.
The incident comes just days after Poland said it had shot down multiple Russian drones. In response, Warsaw raised the readiness of its air defenses, while allies began joint patrols over the region. The Czech Republic also announced it was sending a special helicopter unit to bolster NATO’s eastern flank.
Belarus, a close ally of Russia, suggested that the drones which entered Polish airspace were the result of malfunctioning navigation systems.
Zelensky has renewed calls for tighter sanctions against Moscow, saying Russia “knows exactly where its drones are headed.” U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is open to harsher measures but only if European allies commit to ending purchases of Russian oil.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, continues with heavy strikes and slow advances on the battlefield. Attacks have intensified since President Vladimir Putin returned from a summit with Trump in Alaska last month.