A Russian drone downed by Ukrainian defences crashed in Romania, marking the latest spillover from the war into NATO territory.
BUCHAREST: A drone crashed near a Romanian village early on Thursday after being deflected during Russian air strikes on neighbouring Ukraine.
The Romanian defence ministry stated the drone entered national airspace for approximately four kilometres before crashing outside the inhabited area of Parches.
No casualties or property damage were reported, with authorities finding only a patch of burned vegetation and debris.
People in the area received mobile phone alerts about the potential danger, and the wreckage was located after a member of the public alerted emergency services.
Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were scrambled in response to the incident overnight.
This marks the latest in a series of airspace violations and debris incidents in Romania since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
In 2025, Romania adopted a law authorising its military to shoot down drones that breach its airspace, though no such action has been taken to date.
Earlier this month, Ukraine and Romania announced a joint initiative to produce drones in Romania.
The plan will utilise up to 200 million euros in funding from the European Union’s SAFE Initiative.
A statement of intent on the drone production partnership was signed during a recent visit to Bucharest by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.