North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, fighter jets from Romania and Germany were scrambled today after a drone penetrated deeper than ever into Romanian airspace near the Ukrainian border, in what Bucharest described as a Russian provocation. Defence officials said the pilots nearly opened fire but held back to avoid potential damage on the ground. Non-explosive drone fragments were later recovered in Romania.

The drone breaches followed overnight Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports across the Danube. It was Romania’s thirteenth reported incursion since Russia’s 2022 war and the first to occur in daylight. German Eurofighters initially tracked the drone in Tulcea before it returned to Ukraine, while Romanian F-16s responded to a second breach heading toward inland Vrancea. Residents in three counties were briefly told to take cover as tensions along NATO’s eastern flank intensified.