After Poland, Russia breaches Romania's airspace, prompting Nato to ramp up security

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ramped up its security after a Russian drone violated Romanian airspace on Saturday. The incident prompted Romania to scramble F-16 fighter jets to track the unmanned aircraft for nearly an hour.

The latest incursion occurred while Russia was launching a renewed barrage of attacks on Ukrainian ports . It also came days after 19 Russian drones infiltrated the Polish airspace , prompting the government to enforce Article 4 of Nato. The latest Russian incursions in Eastern European nations have led to a rise in concern over a war spillover in Eastern Europe.

Meanwhile, Romanian Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu said the F-16 pilots came close to taking down the drone as it was flying very low before it left national airspace and headed toward Ukraine. Romania , a member of both the European Union and NATO, shares a 650 km border with Ukraine. The country has been dealing with Russian drone fragments falling onto its territory repeatedly since Russia began waging war on Ukraine.

Romania reacts

While giving updates on the matter, Romania’s Ministry of National Defence reassured the public that the drone did not fly over populated areas and did not pose an “imminent threat." However, they maintained that teams are preparing to search for possible debris.

Romanians have been bracing for such incursions for a while. In a forward-looking move, the country’s parliament adopted a law in February making it possible for its military to shoot down drones breaching its airspace.

“Romania condemns Russia’s reckless behaviour, which threatens regional stability,” wrote the Romanian defence minister on social media. “Together with our NATO Allies, we remain vigilant and ready to defend every inch of Allied airspace,” he added.

Zelenskyy slams Russia

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered the most direct and forceful condemnation of the latest infiltration by Russia into the Romanian airspace. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Zelenskyy maintained that the drone penetrated “about 10 kilometres into Romanian territory and operated in Nato airspace for around 50 minutes.”

According to Zelensky, the drone’s route was “always calculated” and was not a “coincidence, a mistake, or the initiative of some lower-level commanders.” He went on to call it “an obvious expansion of the war by Russia” and urged allies to take “preventive” action.

The view was also echoed by the Ukrainian foreign ministry, which emphasised that the Russian military knows “exactly where their drones are headed” and demanded a “strong and decisive response – tougher sanctions, tariffs against Russian trade, and a reliable defence system.”

With inputs from Reuters.