The incident occurred on the evening of Feb. 25. Residents in the northern part of Tulcea County received Ro-Alert emergency notifications warning of an aerial threat.
Romania’s Ministry of National Defense said radar systems detected a drone operating near the country’s airspace.
The Ro-Alert message warned residents about the potential risk of falling debris and advised them to seek shelter in basements or designated protective spaces.
At around 5:50 p.m. local time, two F-16 fighter jets took off from the Fetesti Air Base in response to the situation.
According to Romanian authorities, the drone briefly entered Romanian airspace near the town of Sfantu Gheorghe before exiting north of Sulina and continuing over territorial waters.
Officials said the drone did not pose a threat to civilian lives.
Romania’s Defense Ministry strongly condemned Russia’s ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.