Second in four days: ISW explains Russian drone provocation in Romanian skies
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The American Institute for the Study of War reported that on the night of September 13, a Russian drone violated Romanian airspace, forcing the NATO member country to scramble F-16 fighter jets. Such incidents are not random, and Russia is deliberately testing the Alliance’s response.
This is stated in a new ISW report.
According to Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Moșteanu, the Russian drone was spotted at 6:23 p.m. local time, after which two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from the 86th Air Base near Fetești. The aircraft tracked the drone for almost 50 minutes until it left Romanian airspace.
Foreign Minister Oana Tsoi clarified that no casualties or damage were reported, and called the attack “unacceptable and reckless.” She added that German Eurofighters were also ready to intervene in case of escalation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that the drone flight could not have been accidental: the trajectories of Russian aircraft are always calculated in advance. ISW analysts agreed, emphasizing that Moscow seeks to “measure” NATO’s capabilities and use experience for future conflicts.
This incident was the second in four days. On the night of September 10, more than 20 Russian UAVs were spotted over Poland, forcing Warsaw to request a reinforcement of the NATO contingent.
On September 12, the Alliance announced the launch of Operation Eastern Sentinel to reinforce the eastern flank. Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed a decree on September 14 to officially deploy the reinforcements.
In total, according to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, since the start of the full-scale war, Russian drones have flown into Romanian airspace at least 11 times . About 50 attacks were recorded near the Ukrainian-Romanian border, and UAV debris fell on Romanian territory on 30 occasions .
By the way, Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Moșteanu said that Russian drones cross the country’s airspace almost every week.
Recall that during the Russian air attack on Ukraine , a Russian drone violated Romanian airspace and flew into the country’s territory.
As it became known, the Russian drone was in Romanian airspace for about 50 minutes and descended to a distance of 10 kilometers.
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