On Thursday evening, the situation on the border between Romania and Ukraine escalated again. The country's authorities issued an emergency alert for residents of the northern part of Tulcea County after radars detected suspicious aerial targets near the river border.

Scrambling of Fighters and Alarm Signals

According to official data from the Romanian Ministry of Defense, the incident occurred at 21:12. Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from the 86th Air Wing base in Borcea. Their task was to monitor the situation and intercept potential threats.

Later, the ministry clarified the details: the radar system detected intermittent signals from a group of aerial targets. The objects remained in Romania's national airspace for a short time — about 20 seconds, around 21:14, after which they crossed the border and moved towards Ukraine.

Emergency Public Alert

The National Military Command Center promptly informed the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. As a result, the authorities of Tulcea County activated the emergency alert system.

Residents of the northern part of the region received warnings recommending immediate shelter. The message indicated a real threat of objects falling from the airspace. Notably, residents had received a similar warning earlier that same Thursday morning.

Rising Tensions and the Cost of Interceptions

This incident is part of a growing series of airspace violations in Romania. In just three days, the country has already shot down three drones. According to sources, these operations cost 1.5 million euros — approximately $400,000 for each intercepted drone.

The chronology of events is as follows:

  • July 24: A Romanian F-16 fighter jet destroyed an intruding drone. The prosecution later confirmed it was a Russian "Shahed" type drone.
  • July 25: The Romanian Air Force intercepted another enemy drone.
  • July 26: A third drone was shot down in the morning.

During one of these incidents, NATO demonstrated solidarity by scrambling four fighter jets at once — two Romanian F-16s and two Italian Eurofighters. After the third drone was shot down, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador for explanations.