Romania scrambles jets after drone penetrates airspace from Moldova
The Ministry of National Defence in Bucharest has confirmed a drone incident on the border, reporting that an aerial vehicle penetrated Romanian airspace by 8 km last night.
The drone's brief incursion triggered the immediate scrambling of four military aircraft to monitor the situation, the ministry stated.
The Ministry of Defence in Chișinău was contacted by Teleradio-Moldova regarding the cross-border event, stating they would verify the information.
According to the Romanian Ministry of National Defence, the drone appeared intermittently on radars for approximately 12 minutes, tracking from Colibași, Republic of Moldova, towards Foltești in Romania’s Galați County, and subsequently into the area of Oancea locality.
Crucially, the Ministry reported that no impact with the ground by any aerial vehicle has been confirmed. Specialist teams remain on standby to begin ground searches, a press release added.
This border event took place amid ongoing, intensified Russian air strikes on Ukraine, including drone attacks carried out on the night of November 18 to 19.
The attacks injured at least 32 people, including two children, in a strike on the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Local authorities reported that the resulting explosions caused widespread destruction and large fires across several districts.
Specifically, in the Osnovianski district, ten parked cars near a residential block were set ablaze, leading to the evacuation of 51 people, including three children. Further damage, including the burning of garages, cars, and the roof of a three-story private enterprise building, was reported in the Slobidski district. Emergency service teams, including pyrotechnicians and psychologists, responded to the scenes.
Russian attacks were also confirmed in the Chernihiv region, where a drone hit a residence in Semenivka, causing a fire that was rapidly contained. No victims were registered in that location, authorities confirmed.
The escalating situation prompted a NATO response on Wednesday morning, with Polish and allied aircraft being scrambled to secure Poland's airspace. This followed new Russian air attacks on western Ukraine, near the Polish border, the armed forces of the NATO member state announced, as cited by Reuters.
The drone incident near the Romanian-Moldovan border occurred just one day after residents evacuated from the Romanian localities of Ceatalchioi and Plauru were informed they could safely return home. These residents had been moved due to the danger of explosion following a vessel carrying thousands of tonnes of LPG catching fire near the Ukrainian port of Izmail.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
