Romania scrambles F-16s amid Russian drone assault near Ukrainian border

Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets overnight on May 19 after Russian attack drones targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure near the Danube River, prompting air raid alerts in areas bordering Ukraine.

The incident was confirmed by the Romanian Ministry of Defence, which said the aircraft were deployed at approximately 01:45 a.m. local time following the detection of groups of drones heading toward Ukrainian ports in the Izmail area.

At 02:05 a.m., authorities issued an air raid warning for Romania’s Tulcea County, located near the Ukrainian border. Romanian radar systems monitored the drones’ movements throughout the incident, though officials stated that no breach of Romanian airspace was recorded.

The alert was lifted at 02:57 a.m. local time.

Romania’s Defence Ministry added that NATO allied structures are informed in real time about such incidents as part of ongoing coordination and regional security monitoring.

By Vafa Guliyeva