Drone crashes in Romania amid Russian attacks on neighbouring Ukraine

Another drone entered Romanian airspace on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, March 25-26, near the northern part of Tulcea County, before crashing in an uninhabited area, authorities said. The incident occurred during a new wave of Russian drone attacks targeting civilian and infrastructure sites in Ukraine, close to Romania’s river border.

According to the Ministry of Defense, two F-16 aircraft took off from the 86th Air Base in Borcea at 00:16 to monitor the air situation. Shortly after, authorities issued a RO-ALERT warning to residents in northern Tulcea County.

At 00:44, a drone that had been deflected by Ukrainian air defenses crossed approximately four kilometers into Romanian airspace. It later crashed about two kilometers from the village of Parcheș, outside populated areas.

Emergency response teams and military personnel were dispatched to the site, where they found burned vegetation and drone fragments. No material damage or casualties were reported, the ministry also said.

The area has been secured, with specialized teams from the Ministry of Defense and the Romanian Intelligence Service set to carry out further investigations.

Romania has seen over a dozen drone incursions in its airspace since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. About a month ago, for example, another drone breached the Romanian airspace, while back in January, fragments believed to be from a drone were recovered from a household in Vrancea county, eastern Romania.

(Photo source: Facebook/Ministerul Apararii Nationale; ISU Tulcea)