Unidentified aerial object again enters Romanian airspace near Ukraine border
Romanian radar detected an unidentified aerial target near the Ukrainian border on the night of 26–27 September, triggering an alert and the scrambling of Spanish F-18 fighters — the second such incident within a week.
Alert near the Danube
On the night of 26–27 September, Romania's Ministry of National Defence radar system detected an unidentified aerial target near the village of Chilia Veche, on the river border with Ukraine. The incident was reported by several Polish news outlets — Interia, WP Wiadomości and Onet.
The National Military Command Centre notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, and at 23:32 local time an RO-Alert warning was sent to residents of northern Tulcea county.
Two Spanish Air Force F-18 fighters, deployed in Romania under NATO's Enhanced Air Policing mission, and a Romanian Air Force IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter were scrambled to monitor the situation.
Signal lost near Pardina
According to the Defence Ministry, the object moved for several minutes almost parallel to the Chilia arm of the Danube before radar contact was lost near the village of Pardina. The air alert was called off at 00:48. The ministry did not specify what the object was or who was responsible for it — Interia suggests it was likely a drone, though this has not been confirmed.
Not the first incident
All three sources note this is not the first such episode in recent days. On the morning of Thursday, 24 September, a drone entered Romanian airspace in northern Botoșani county, prompting RO-Alert warnings for Botoșani and Suceava counties. Interia adds that drones also violated Moldovan airspace the same day — one exploded in northern Moldova, another crashed in Romania; citing a Romanian government statement, the object remained in the country's airspace for about four minutes before crashing near the village of Solca in Suceava county, causing no casualties or damage.
Onet further reports that on the night of 25–26 September, Romanian radar detected an aerial target moving over Ukrainian territory near the village of Vylkove, close to the Romanian border.
Commenting on the earlier incidents, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said: "Russia's war threatens the whole of Europe. We condemn this war and stand in solidarity with Ukraine."
The repeated incursions point to rising tension on NATO's eastern flank as Russia's war in Ukraine continues near the alliance's borders.
