Romania Scrambles Fighter Jets as Russian Drones Strike Near Danube Border With Ukraine

Romania scrambled fighter jets overnight from October 21 to 22 as a massive Russian drone attack targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure on the Danube River, directly across the border.

The Romanian Ministry of National Defense confirmed that around 01:00, residents in the northern part of Tulcea County were alerted to the Russian drone strikes on Ukrainian ports. Surveillance systems detected a cluster of aerial targets moving toward the Chilia Branch and the Danube Delta area.

To investigate the situation, two F-16 aircraft from the 86th Air Base in Borcea were immediately launched around 00:50. Reports indicated approximately ten explosions on the Ukrainian bank near Izmail and Kiliia, though no intrusion into Romanian airspace was confirmed.

The mission commander was pre-authorized to engage any targets that might violate Romanian skies.

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As a precautionary measure, two German Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft also took off around 02:35 from the 57th Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base to conduct enhanced air policing missions.

The air alert in the Romanian county was called off at 03:00, with the jets returning to their bases shortly thereafter.

Today, on October 22, a joint team of specialists from Romania's Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Romanian Intelligence Service will survey the Romanian bank of the Danube near the attacked Ukrainian settlements to formally assess the situation.

“The Ministry of National Defense firmly condemns the Russian Federation’s irresponsible actions and emphasizes that they represent a new challenge posed to regional security and stability in the Black Sea area. Such incidents demonstrate the Russian Federation's lack of respect for the norms of international law and endanger not only the Romanian citizens’ safety, but also NATO’s collective security,” the statement reads.

Earlier, Russia launched one of its deadliest nighttime attacks in recent weeks, unleashing waves of missiles and drones across Ukrainian cities.

Officials confirmed that the attacks killed six people, including two children, and wounded dozens more.

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