Romania deploys F-16s over airspace alert near Ukraine border

Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets on the evening of July 30 after airborne targets were detected near its border with Ukraine, prompting authorities to issue an air raid alert to residents in the border county of Tulcea.

Romania's Ministry of Defence said in a post on X that the fighter jets were dispatched to monitor the situation, Caliber.Az reports.

Sistemul de supraveghere radar al MApN a detectat în seara zilei de joi, 30 iulie, un grup de ținte aeriene în proximitatea frontierei fluviale cu Ucraina.

Două aeronave F-16 din cadrul Bazei 86 Aeriene Borcea au fost ridicate de la sol la ora 21.12 pentru monitorizarea… pic.twitter.com/CPqV3exOoC

— MApN (@MApNRomania) July 30, 2026

Romania's General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations also issued a RO-Alert warning to residents of Tulcea County, notifying them of a potential air threat.

According to the ministry, the airborne targets remained in Romanian national airspace for approximately 20 seconds before crossing the border into Ukraine.

The targets subsequently disappeared from radar, after which reports of explosions emerged from the Ukrainian side of the border.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov