Romania scrambles F-16s as Russian drone crosses Ukraine's Danube River border
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Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets on Aug. 2 after Russian drones crossed over the country's territorial waters during an attack against southern Ukraine, the Romanian Defense Ministry reported.
The report follows a series of Russian drone incursions into Romanian airspace in recent days. Romanian air defenses shot down three Russian UAVs in three days from July 24-26, prompting Bucharest to summon its Russian ambassador.
The Romanian Air Force on the afternoon of Aug. 2 scrambled two F-16s when radar detected a drone flying near the Danube River border with Ukraine, the defense ministry said. An aerial alert was issued for Tulcea County.
The drone then crossed into Romanian territory for about 20 minutes before returning to Ukraine, where it was shot down by Ukrainian forces, the ministry reported.
Some drone debris fell in the Romanian village of Periprava, about one kilometer from the border. The wreckage landed in a rural area and caused no casualties or damage, according to the ministry.
The incident marked the second aerial alert in Romania that day. Earlier in the morning, the Air Force issued a warning due to a drone detected near the border.
Russian drones have invaded Romanian territory several times throughout the full-scale war against Ukraine. Most dramatically, a Russian drone struck a residential building in the city of Galați on May 29, injuring two people.
The country had also logged multiple incursions prior to that attack. The incidents typically result from Russia's strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure along the Danube River. One of the main targets, the Izmail district in Odesa Oblast, lies directly across the river from Romania.
In February 2025, Bucharest passed a law allowing its forces to shoot down drones that violated national airspace.
Romania is a member of both NATO and the European Union. The country shares a 600-kilometer (370-mile) border with Ukraine, stretching along the Danube River and the Black Sea coast.
