Romania reported a Russian drone entering its airspace, marking the second NATO member state to face such a violation amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The Romanian Ministry of National Defence detected the drone on Saturday during border monitoring by two F-16 jets, prompted by Russian strikes on Ukrainian Danube infrastructure.
The drone, tracked 20km southwest of Chilia Veche, vanished from radar without entering populated areas or posing immediate threats, the ministry stated.
Poland, another NATO member, shot down three Russian drones in its airspace earlier on Wednesday, escalating regional concerns.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced heightened aviation operations and maximum readiness for ground-based air defence systems to counter further threats.
The Czech Republic deployed a special operations unit with three Mi-171S helicopters, each capable of carrying 24 personnel, to bolster Poland’s defenses, per Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incursion a deliberate war expansion, noting Russian awareness of drone trajectories and urging stronger sanctions.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard condemned the violation, affirming Sweden’s support for Romania and NATO’s deterrence efforts.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the Polish incident unacceptable but stressed the need for evidence to determine intent, noting deliberate targeting would be highly escalatory.
US President Donald Trump expressed readiness to impose sanctions on Russia, contingent on NATO nations halting Russian oil purchases.
Russia denies targeting Polish facilities, while Belarus attributed the Polish breach to navigation jamming.