Romanian authorities issued an alert on Saturday for the northern area of Tulcea County after a Russian drone was detected in the country’s airspace, Romanian media outlet Digi24.ro reports. Citizens were warned of potential falling objects and urged to take protective measures.

The incident follows a pattern of Russian drones violating NATO airspace in recent days. On 10 September, a wave of Russian drones entered Poland, causing alarm among NATO members. 

The Romanian Ministry of National Defence said two F-16 fighter jets from Fetesti Air Base took off at 18:05 to monitor the airspace near the border with Ukraine, following Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian infrastructure along the nearby Danube river. 

The jets detected the drone near Chilia Veche, tracking it for roughly 50 minutes as it operated about 10 kilometers inside Romanian territory before disappearing from radar. 

The drone did not fly over populated areas and posed no imminent threat to civilians. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the incident, noting that Russian drones were active throughout the day in various regions of Ukraine. 

“The Russian military clearly knows the targets of their drones and how long they can stay in the air. Flight routes are always carefully calculated,” Zelenskyy said. 

“This cannot be accidental, a mistake, or the result of rogue actions by lower-level commanders. This is a deliberate expansion of the war by Russia.”

Zelenskyy called for sanctions, trade tariffs, and a coordinated system of collective defense. He said Ukraine has urged its partners to establish such protections proactively, warning against waiting for further drone or missile attacks before taking action.

The Tulcea Emergency Situations Inspectorate emphasized that Romania’s territory is not the direct target of Russian attacks and that the air alert, lasting roughly 90 minutes, was precautionary. 

Poland also responded to a separate threat on Saturday, mobilizing military aircraft after Russian drones were reported in Ukrainian regions bordering the country.