Romania announced on Thursday that it had scrambled two F-16 jets overnight after five aerial targets were detected near the Ukrainian border.
"The radar surveillance system of the Romanian Ministry of National Defence detected, on the night of August 12 to 13, at 01:27, a group of five aerial targets in the Ismail area, over the Ukrainian territory, near the river border with Romania," the Romanian Defence Ministry said in a statement.
It noted that two Romanian F-16 jets were scrambled to monitor the situation.
"Ground radars detected an aerial target penetrating the national airspace, approximately 2 km south of Pardina. The target remained in the national airspace for about 10 minutes, moving along the Chilia branch, before leaving the Romanian territory towards Ukraine," the statement explained.
It added that shortly after the target flew over Romanian airspace, explosions were reported over Ukrainian territory.
Russian and Ukrainian drones have breached Romanian airspace since 2022, with dozens of incursions reported and drone fragments found on Romanian territory.
In May 2026, a Russian Geran-2 drone struck a residential building in Galați, injuring two civilians.
The incident marked the first reported injuries in Romania linked to the spillover of the Ukraine-Russia war.
NATO aircraft, including Romanian F-16s and German Eurofighters, have frequently scrambled to respond to the drone incursions.
Romania also began shooting down suspected drones in July 2026 after previously showing greater restraint.
The repeated violations have raised concerns that the war could escalate into NATO territory.
Romania and its allies have since strengthened defences along the alliance’s eastern flank to counter the growing threat.
