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Romania Scrambles F-16s In Response to Russian Drone Strikes on Danube Region

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Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
Author
Romania Scrambles F-16s In Response to Russian Drone Strikes on Danube Region
Three F-16 fighting jets of the Romanian Air Force fly over a Romanian flag during a military parade marking the National Day of Romania in Bucharest on December 1, 2023. (Source: Getty Images)

Romania deployed F-16 fighter jets in response to a Russian drone attack targeting Ukrainian settlements along the Danube River, with one drone reportedly crashing on Romanian territory, Romanian media outlet Digi24 reported on January 17.

An air-raid alert was issued at 1:46 am for Romanian villages along the Danube River as explosions were heard from the Ukrainian side.

Romania’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to assess a potential threat. After about two hours, the jets returned to their base.

The ministry also reported the discovery of a “possible drone crash site” near the village of Plauru, located across the Danube from the Ukrainian city of Izmail. Military experts are currently investigating the site to gather evidence for further analysis.

The remains of the Gheran 2 drone in Romania, a Russian model copied from the Iranian Shahed 136 drones. (Source: Digi24)
The remains of the Gheran 2 drone in Romania, a Russian model copied from the Iranian Shahed 136 drones. (Source: Digi24)

“The Ministry of National Defense strongly condemns these Russian attacks on civilian targets and infrastructure in Ukraine. These actions are unjustified and in blatant violation of international law,” the statement read. The ministry added that NATO had been informed about the incident.

Earlier, two Norwegian F-35 fighter jets were deployed to protect Polish airspace on January 15 in response to Russian aircraft involved in attacks on Ukraine for the first time.

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