Poland's reaction, after the penetration of a drone into Romania: NATO must accelerate efforts to protect the eastern flank
Polish Air Force F-16 and MIG-29 fighter jets take part in a NATO Air Force military exercise on October 12, 2022 in Lask, Poland. Illustrative image. PHOTO: STRINGER / AFP / Profimedia
NATO must accelerate measures to strengthen the protection of its eastern flank against drones, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said, after Romania raised fighter jets on Tuesday following an incursion into its national airspace, Reuters notes.
“Operation Eastern Sentry needs reinforcements. Eight countries have already declared their (willingness to provide no) forces, this process must be accelerated. It is an obvious conclusion, if today's violation is confirmed,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said after a meeting with his French counterpart.
A Russian drone crashed in Vaslui County, after being tracked for several hours through Romania's airspace, through several counties / Why it was not shot down by fighter jets. MApN explanations
Romanian and German fighter jets of the NATO forces were mobilized on Tuesday near Romania's border with Ukraine to respond to the incursion of a drone that penetrated deeper than ever into Romanian airspace, in an action that Bucharest qualified as a Russian provocation, notes News.ro.
The Minister of Defense, Ionuţ Moşteanu, said that NATO pilots were on the verge of shooting down a drone that repeatedly entered the country's airspace, but refrained, due to fears that it could cause damage to the ground.
Fragments of a drone without an explosive charge were later found on the territory of Romania, but also in the Republic of Moldova, in whose airspace at least six drones entered.
Russian drones hit during the night the Ukrainian ports near the border with Romania, which are on the other side of the Danube.
Tuesday's breach was the 13th reported by Romania since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In addition to being the deepest incursion, it was also the first to take place during the day, not at night.
Romania's Ministry of Defense said it initially sent two Eurofighter jets from a German air police mission in Romania to track a drone in Tulcea county in the country's southeast before it re-entered Ukraine.
The army later dispatched two Romanian F-16 fighter jets after radar detected a second airspace violation in neighboring Galati county. Moşteanu stated that two more Eurofighter planes followed. The minister declared that the planes followed the drone that was heading towards Vrancea county, which has no border with Ukraine and is more than 100 km inside the country.
Residents of all three counties were warned to take shelter, a warning that was later lifted.
Romania has a 650 km border with Ukraine.
