NATO official announcements or Romanian defense ministry reports

Romania Scrambles F-16 Jets After Russian Gheran 2 Drone Breaches Airspace Near Plauru, Tulcea County

Jan 17, 2025, 09:17 AM

Romania's airspace was breached by Russian drones targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure near the border, leading to the deployment of Romanian F-16 fighter jets. The incident occurred overnight, with the drones detected entering Romanian airspace around 1:35 AM. Two F-16 jets were scrambled from the Borcea Air Base to monitor the situation, returning to base by 3:48 AM. A possible drone impact site was identified near the village of Plauru in Tulcea County, close to the Ukrainian border. The Romanian Ministry of Defense and other authorities have secured the area and are conducting an investigation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the violation of Romanian airspace and the attacks on Ukraine as breaches of international law, emphasizing the threat to regional security. The Ro-Alert system was activated at 1:39 AM to alert residents, with the alert ending at 3:30 AM. The drone identified was a Gheran 2, a Russian model copied from the Iranian Shahed 136. NATO was informed about the incident.