In the early hours of Saturday, May 2, a Russian drone briefly entered Romanian airspace as part of renewed attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure near the border. The Romanian Ministry of National Defense reported that a group of twenty drones was detected by radar moving towards the Izmail region in Ukraine.
At approximately 02:00 local time, two F-16 fighter jets were dispatched from the 86th Air Base in Fetesti as a precautionary measure. The National Military Command Center alerted the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, issuing a RO-Alert notification at 02:03 for residents in the northern part of Tulcea County.
The Ministry of Defense confirmed that ground radar detected the drone’s short incursion into Romanian airspace near the town of Kilia, where it continued its trajectory towards Izmail. Reports from the Ukrainian side of the Danube indicated multiple explosions occurring during this time. The air alert was lifted at 02:50.
The Ministry emphasized that it is maintaining real-time communication with allied structures regarding the situation arising from these attacks. Over the course of the ongoing conflict, Russian drones, particularly of the Shahed type, have repeatedly fallen on the Romanian side of the Danube or violated the country’s airspace.
Following initial incidents, air alerts have been routinely issued for border areas along the Danube, and the deployment of aircraft has become a standard response. In one notable incident, a drone resembling a Gerbera model entered Romanian territory, crashing several kilometers inland near a private property.
A Russian drone briefly entered Romanian airspace early Saturday, coinciding with renewed attacks on Ukraine. The Romanian military responded by deploying fighter jets and issuing alerts, reflecting ongoing security concerns in the region.