Romania scrambles NATO jets over air target near Ukraine

Two Spanish F-18 fighter jets patrolling Romanian airspace were scrambled on the morning of August 25 after an unidentified air target was detected near the border with Ukraine, Romania’s Defence Ministry said.

According to the ministry, radar systems detected the target about 4 kilometres east of Vilkovo, a Ukrainian town near the Romanian border. The Spanish fighters took off from the 57th Air Base Mihail Kogalniceanu to monitor the situation.

A RO-Alert warning was issued in the northern part of Tulcea County. The alert was lifted at 9:04 a.m.

Romanian authorities said there was no reported violation of the country’s airspace.

The incident came a day after Romania scrambled fighter jets and a helicopter following the detection of a Russian drone that had entered the area from Ukraine’s Odesa region.

By Tamilla Hasanova