Authorities issued two RO-Alert messages for the northern area of Tulcea County on Saturday, informing citizens about the possibility of objects falling from the airspace. F-16 aircraft lifted off detected a drone in the national airspace and tracked it until it disappeared from radar. Today, the Defense Minister stated that a drone entering Romanian airspace would be shot down, as Poland did.
According to the Ministry of National Defense (MApN), two F-16 fighter aircraft from the 86th Air Base in Fetești took off on Saturday at 18:05 to monitor the airspace situation at the border with Ukraine due to Russian air attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure along the Danube.
What is known about the drone
At 18:23, F-16 aircraft detected a drone in the national airspace, which they tracked until approximately 20 km southwest of Chilia Veche, when it disappeared from radar.
The drone did not fly over inhabited areas and did not pose an imminent danger to the population's security, as stated by MApN, without specifying if it crashed.
According to the publication Delta Dunării News, the drone headed northeast over the Sulina Channel towards Romanian territory.
The situation is being monitored by MApN radar systems and airborne aircraft.
Two Ro-Alert messages
The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations transmitted an RO-Alert message for the northern area of Tulcea County, informing citizens about the possibility of objects falling from the airspace and urging them to take protective measures.
The estimated duration of the air alarm is approximately 90 minutes.
Subsequently, a new Ro-Alert message was issued for the same area. "A few minutes ago, a new RO-Alert message was sent to the northern area of Tulcea County, informing the population about the possibility of objects falling from the airspace," announced representatives of ISU Tulcea, according to News.ro.
Defense Minister's reaction
"The situation has been continuously monitored, and the population has not been in danger. The mission is ongoing, and we will provide details. Romania defends its airspace and remains vigilant against Russian aggression," wrote Defense Minister Ionuț Moşteanu on Saturday evening on Facebook.
Today, Moşteanu stated that drone sightings are reported every week in northern Dobrogea, near the border, and if they were to enter Romanian airspace, they would be shot down.
"Every week, there are cases of drones in northern Dobrogea, near the border, very close to the border, and last night, the air police aircraft took off to ensure the safety of citizens. If any drone were to enter Romanian airspace, it would be shot down. Likewise, the anti-aircraft on the ground in population-concentrated areas on the Chilia arm in northern Dobrogea is ready to react if drones enter the airspace, just as the Poles did - we will protect our country, the safety of every citizen," explained Ionuț Moșteanu on the "Insider Politic" show on Prima TV.
Poland mobilizes fighter jets and closes an airport
Polish and allied aircraft were mobilized on Saturday to protect Polish airspace due to the threat of drone attacks from neighboring Ukraine, and the airport in Lublin, eastern Poland, was closed, Polish authorities stated, according to Reuters.
The operational command of the Polish armed forces stated that the aircraft participated in an operation near the Ukrainian border "to ensure the security of Polish airspace," three days after Poland shot down Russian drones in its airspace with the support of its NATO military allies.
"These actions are preventive in nature and aim to secure the airspace and protect citizens, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened area," the Command stated in a release.
The release did not mention any violation of Polish airspace.
At the same time, the Polish air navigation agency declared that the airport in Lublin and the controlled area around the airport were closed on Saturday for flight operations.
Poland stated that its airspace was violated by Russian drones on Tuesday night while Russia was attacking Ukraine. Moscow assured that Poland was not the target.
These measures come as Russia and Belarus conduct military maneuvers near the Polish border.