Overview

• Romania protested to Ambassador Vladimir Lipaïev after confirming a Russian‑type Geran drone entered its airspace during strikes near the Ukraine border, calling the overflight unacceptable and a breach of sovereignty.
• Two Romanian F‑16s, supported by two German Eurofighters, tracked the drone for about 50 minutes from near Chilia Veche toward Pardina and assessed it did not pose an imminent threat or overfly populated areas, opting not to shoot.
• The Russian embassy in Bucharest rejected Romania’s complaint as unfounded and alleged a deliberate Ukrainian provocation, leaving attribution contested.
• NATO allies have stepped up air policing after earlier incursions over Poland, with France deploying three Rafales to Poland under Eastern Sentry and regional air‑defense alert levels raised.
• Regional tension is heightened by Russia–Belarus Zapad‑2025 drills observed by U.S. representatives, and by Poland’s neutralization of a drone over government sites in Warsaw with two Belarusian nationals arrested.