Romania has become the most recent NATO member state to report a violation of its airspace by a drone, as Poland scrambled fighter jets in response to Russian drone strikes in neighboring Ukraine. It was revealed by Romania’s defense ministry on Saturday that their airspace was breached by a drone during a Russian attack on infrastructure in Ukraine. In response, Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to monitor the situation after the strikes. The Dublin Community Relay (DCR) reported that the jets detected a drone in Romanian airspace and tracked it until it disappeared from radar, near the village of Chilia Veche.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia is purposefully extending their drone operations, and a stronger response from the West is required in the form of Tighter sanctions and closer defense cooperation. The recent drone violations were a clear escalation of the war by Russia, he said.
The related article, “Nato announces more air support to defend Poland against future Russian incursions,” was also mentioned.
Zelenskyy argued that what was required as a response was fresh sanctions against Russia and a collective defense system. He warned against waiting until there were numerous attacks before taking action.
President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced his readiness to impose major sanctions on Russia as soon as all NATO nations followed suit and stopped buying Russian oil. Also on Saturday, Poland and its NATO allies deployed helicopters and aircraft when Russian drones targeted Ukraine, close to its border. Polish and allied aircraft operated in their airspace, with ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems on high alert.
Poland and other NATO nations have been on high alert ever since Warsaw reported nearly 20 Russian drones entered its airspace overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. Although Russia denies targeting Poland, several countries, including France, Germany, and Sweden, have increased their support for defending Polish airspace in response.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern over Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace last week but questioned whether Poland was specifically targeted. Poland rejected Donald Trump’s suggestion that the incursions could have been a mistake.
Trump said that he is willing to implement significant sanctions on Russia once all NATO nations concur and cease purchasing oil from Russia. Russian authorities have confirmed an attack by a Ukrainian drone on one of the country’s largest oil refineries which was located over 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the front line in Ukraine. This attack, which caused minor damage, underscores Kyiv’s efforts to limit the Kremlin’s ability to fund the conflict using its fossil fuel industry.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/14/romania-reports-russian-drone-in-its-airspace-as-poland-scrambles-jets-again
