Russian drones entered Romania’s airspace overnight. This triggered an alarm launch by Romanian and German fighter jets. A drone crashed in Romania. NATO does not assume a deliberate attack.
Alarm on NATO’s southeastern flank: The Russian military violated the airspace over Romania with drones during the night, thereby calling German and Romanian fighter planes onto the scene. According to information from the German Press Agency, Russian aircraft were identified by the crews through visual contact without an order from NATO to shoot them down.
Up to 70 Russian Shahed 136 drones were registered in the wave of attacks on targets in Ukraine, one of which, according to preliminary findings, also exploded over Romanian airspace. These weapons can carry a warhead weighing up to 60 kilograms and are often used in swarms – also because of their lack of precision.
NATO: No evidence of deliberate attack
Alliance spokesman Dylan White made it clear that NATO had no indication that the Russian drone that crashed in Romania was intended for a target in alliance territory. According to Romanian intelligence, Russia used the drone to attack Ukrainian port infrastructure, White said. NATO had no evidence of a targeted attack by Russia on an ally.
The NATO spokesman also confirmed that German fighter jets stationed in Romania began surveillance flights in response to Russia’s attack on targets in neighboring Ukraine. It was said that Romanian aircraft also completed so-called alarm takeoffs.
No injuries in drone crash
Regarding Russia’s new wave of attacks on Ukraine, White said: “We strongly condemn Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and along the Danube.” The situation is being monitored continuously and we are in close contact with the Romanian authorities.
According to information from Romania provided to NATO, the Russian drone crashed on Wednesday evening near the municipality of Grindu. This is located on the banks of the Danube and is only a few kilometers from the Ukrainian-Romanian border. There were no injuries in the crash, but the crash left a crater.
Air Force involved in securing NATO’s southeastern flank
According to its own information, the Ukrainian Air Force shot down 41 of 42 Russian combat drones during the night, mostly over the Odessa region bordering Romania. The Russian attack on targets in Ukraine in the border area was noticed by the NATO military from 9:42 p.m. German time and monitored in a multinational command post for the command of NATO air forces (“Combined Air Operations Center”).
Accordingly, the order for an alarm start (“Alpha Scramble”) was given at 10:02 p.m., and the armed German Eurofighters were in the air at 10:11 p.m. Romania deployed F-16 fighter jets from the eastern Fetesti air base. According to the Romanian military, the operation lasted until 2 a.m.
The Air Force is currently involved in securing NATO’s southeastern flank with four fighter aircraft and armed protection flights from the Romanian Mihail Kogălniceanu military airfield near Constanta. The deployment helps the NATO partner with military capabilities that it does not have sufficiently.
Silke Hahne, ARD Vienna, tagesschau, December 14, 2023 3:48 p.m