The army raised two F-16 fighter jets after a drone entered Romanian airspace amid new Russian attacks on Danube ports
F-16 aircraft, Photo: Inquam Photos / George Calin
The Ministry of National Defense (MApN) announced on Wednesday evening that two F-16 combat aircraft deployed at the Feteşti Air Base were lifted into the air and that a drone “entered briefly” into the national airspace, in the context of new Russian attacks on the Ukrainian ports on the Danube.
In fact, the population in the north of Tulcea county received, after 18:00, a Ro-Alert message.
“On Wednesday, February 25, the Russian Federation launched new air attacks on the Ukrainian ports on the Danube. MApN radars signaled the presence of a drone in the area adjacent to the national airspace, which led to the preventive activation of anti-aircraft defense systems, and around 5:50 p.m., two F-16 aircraft deployed in the Feteşti Air Base were lifted into the air, according to air police procedures”, he transmitted by MApN, in a press release.
“At 6:07 p.m., an RO-alert message was issued for the population in the north of Tulcea county. The unmanned aerial vehicle briefly entered the national airspace, in the area of the town of Sfântu Gheorghe, without endangering people's lives, and left it north of Sulina, evolving only over territorial waters,” the ministry stated.
The alert measures ended around 18:45 and no drone debris was identified in the area, the same source added.
“The Ministry of National Defense strongly condemns the Russian Federation's attacks on the Ukrainian civil infrastructure, actions that represent a serious violation of international law and a threat to regional security”, concluded the representatives of the Ministry of Defense.
The data provided by the Ministry of Defense showed that, starting from September 5, 2023, when the first fragments were found, and until January 17, 2025, 12 situations were identified on the territory of our country in which drone fragments were picked up.
The most situations of this kind, 11, took place in Tulcea county. Seven were in the Plauru area, Ceatalchioi commune, which is separated from the city of Ismail in Ukraine only by the Danube.
4 calls to 112
The extreme alert, announced to the population of the north, east and center of Tulcea county, through the Ro-Alert message, has stopped in the meantime, and during the alert four people called the single emergency number 112 to ask for additional information.
In the alert sent, the authorities urged the people of Tulcena to keep calm and take shelter in cellars or civil protection shelters.
“Unless sheltered, stay indoors, away from windows and exterior walls. Estimated alert duration: 90 minutes,” Ro-Alert wrote in the message.
Ro-Alert message in Tulcea, amid a new Russian attack on Ukraine. Residents advised to take shelter in cellars
The Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISU) Delta later specified that the Ro-Alert message sent to the population of Tulcea was intended to inform people in the border area with Ukraine about the risk of objects falling from the airspace.
“The message sent is primarily one of informing the population located in the border area with Ukraine, by which they are informed about the fact that, following the armed conflict on Ukrainian territory and the monitoring carried out by the structures of the Romanian state with a defense role, there is a possibility that objects may fall from the airspace”, transmitted ISU Delta, according to Agerpres.
The state of alert ended at 6:47 p.m., and during it four phone calls were recorded from residents of the county who requested additional information, ISU Delta noted.
