Romania reports Russian drone in its airspace

Romania’s defence ministry said on Saturday its airspace had been breached by a drone during a Russian attack on infrastructure in neighbouring Ukraine. Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets late on Saturday to monitor the situation after the strikes, the ministry said in statement.

The jets “detected a drone in national airspace” and tracked it until “it disappeared from the radar” near the Romanian village of Chilia Veche, it added.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was deliberately expanding its drone operations and that the west needed to respond with tougher sanctions and closer defence cooperation.

The latest drone incursions were “an obvious expansion of the war by Russia”, he said, adding, “The Russian military knows exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can operate in the air.”

What was required in response were fresh sanctions against Russia and a collective defence system, Zelensky argued.

“Do not wait for dozens of ‘shaheds’ and ballistic missiles before finally making decisions,” he warned.

Also Saturday, Poland said it and its NATO allies had deployed helicopters and aircraft when Russian drones struck Ukraine not far from its border.

Because of the drone threat, “Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, and ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have reached their highest level of alert,” the country’s military command posted in a statement on X.

Later on Saturday, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk announced that the high alert had been lifted, while cautioning: “We remain vigilant.”

Poland and its fellow NATO countries have been on their guard since Warsaw said nearly 20 Russian drones entered its airspace overnight Tuesday to Wednesday.

While Russia denies targeting Poland, several European countries including France, Germany and Sweden have stepped up their support for defending Polish airspace in response.

On Friday, Poland rejected Donald Trump’s suggestion that the incursions could have been a mistake, a rare contradiction of the US president from one of Washington’s closest European allies.