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NATO skies breached again: Romania fails to launch jets as Russian drone crashes in county next to Ukraine
Overnight on 11 November 2025, a Russian drone strike targeting Ukraine’s Danube ports led to debris falling near the Romanian village of Grindu, while Romanian fighter jets were unable to launch due to bad weather, according to Romania’s Ministry of National Defense. Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu confirmed the drone debris landed in an inhabited area on Romanian soil. The drone crash occurred amid the Russian strikes on Ukrainian Danube port areas.
Romanian radars detect drones as air defenses activate
Romania’s Defense Ministry reported that in the early hours of 11 November, radar systems tracked groups of drones in the area adjacent to Romanian airspace. At 12:07 a.m., authorities issued a national emergency alert system's warning to residents in the northern part of Tulcea County. A large number of explosions were recorded on the Ukrainian side of the Danube, near the port of Izmail.
Despite the alert and detection, Romania’s fighter jets remained grounded. The ministry explained that weather conditions in the southeast of the country made takeoff impossible. Air defense systems were nonetheless activated preventively.
At 1:09 a.m., authorities received a report about a drone impact near Grindu, roughly five kilometers south of the Romanian-Ukrainian border. Romanian military teams were dispatched to the site and reported finding possible drone fragments. The zone was secured and investigation began at daybreak.
Drone debris falls in inhabited area — Romania vows response
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu confirmed that the drone fragments landed “in an inhabited area on Romanian territory.” She called the incident “another reckless attack on Ukraine with consequences on Romanian soil.”
"These actions are part of a series of similar incidents and represent a clear pattern in Russia’s war of aggression," she wrote on X.
According to her, these attacks are part of “systematic Russian provocations against the EU and NATO.”
“We will not hesitate to increase the price Russia pays for such reckless and illegal actions,” Toiu wrote, noting that Romania, the EU, and the US are preparing further sanctions on Russia to raise the cost of aggression.
Russia targeted Odesa Oblast power grid last night
Earlier today, Odesa Oblast authorities reported a Russian drone assault on the southern part of the oblast, targeting energy and railway infrastructure. Ukraine’s Air Force later confirmed that Russian forces had launched a total of 119 long-range drones overnight, “the main focus of the strike was on frontline areas in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk oblasts; and Odesa Oblast.”
During the night, Ukrainian forces tracked drone groups moving toward the Izmail district, and then toward Reni in this district, located directly across the Danube River from Romania’s Tulcea County.
