Romania responds to Russian airspace violation, scrambles fighter jets overnight

The country’s General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations reported one of the drones having entered Romanian airspace and likely crashed near the village of Plauru in Tulcea County (bordering Ukraine). Emergency responders received a 911 call from a resident of the border area requesting additional information, the agency noted.

Tulcea residents received an RO-Alert warning overnight about the possible crash of "certain objects", marking the first air alert in Romania in 2025.

Overnight on Jan. 17, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine with two Iskander ballistic missiles and 50 drones. Ukraine’s Air Force reported that 33 drones were shot down, nine were lost on radars, and one flew into Romanian airspace.

Authorities in Odesa Oblast confirmed that Russian forces struck port infrastructure in Izmail District, which borders Romania.

Russian missiles and drones have repeatedly violated Romanian airspace throughout the war. The last confirmed airspace breach was reported on Dec. 26, 2024.