RAF Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled overnight after Russian drones were detected operating close to NATO territory in a sharp escalation along the Black Sea frontier.
The aircraft, deployed under NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing mission, were launched in the early hours of Saturday following alerts from the Romanian Ministry of Defence, which identified multiple aerial targets approaching its airspace near the Ukrainian border.
According to the Romanian authorities, ground-based radar systems tracked a group of drones moving towards the area of Reni in southern Ukraine, close to the border with Romania.
The aircraft established radar contact with a target assessed to be approximately 1.5 kilometres from Reni, still over Ukrainian territory.
Pilots were authorised to engage, while Romanian air defence units activated population alert systems in Tulcea County, issuing RO-ALERT warnings to residents in the localities of Grindu and Isaccea at 02:14 local time.
A statement by the ministry read: “The National Military Command Center notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) to implement population alert measures in the localities of Grindu and Isaccea, Tulcea County. A RO-ALERT message was issued at 02:14. The Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft established radar contact with a target located 1.5 km from Reni, above Ukrainian territory. The pilots were authorized to engage the drones.
“Ground-based MApN radars tracked a group of targets up to the area of Reni, Ukraine, where multiple explosions were reported. At 02:31, residents of the city of Galați reported via the 112 emergency service the fall of an object in the Bariera Traian area.
Shortly afterwards, multiple explosions were reported in the vicinity of Reni, with residents in the nearby Romanian city of Galați calling emergency services to report the impact of a falling object in the Bariera Traian area at around 02:31.
Romanian authorities later confirmed that drone fragments were recovered at several locations in the Galați region. One outbuilding and an electricity pole sustained minor damage, though no casualties were reported.
The Romanian Ministry of Defence issued a strong condemnation of the incident, describing it as part of a pattern of reckless Russian activity in the region.
It said the actions “represent a new challenge to regional security and stability in the Black Sea area” and accused Moscow of disregarding international law while endangering both Romanian civilians and NATO’s collective security framework.
The incident underscores growing tension along NATO’s eastern flank, where allied air policing missions have increasingly been tasked with responding to spillover from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the expanding use of long-range drone warfare near alliance borders.
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