Romania scrambles fighter jets overnight due to Russian drone attack on Ukraine

Romania has scrambled F-18 and F-16 fighter jets because of Russian drones attacking Ukraine near the border, the country's Defense Ministry said, condemning Russia's attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, UNN reports.

Details

"On Wednesday, October 2, Russian forces carried out a new series of drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine near the river border with Romania in Tulcea County. As a result of the detection of groups of drones heading towards Ukrainian airspace, near Romanian airspace, the National Military Command Center (core) notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations to establish measures to alert the population of Tulcea and Galati counties, the RO-Alert message was sent at 2:41 am," the statement said.

"To monitor the situation, two F-18 aircraft of the Spanish Air Force, which are part of the enhanced combat air patrol service, took off from the 57th Mihailo Kogelnicianu air base around 00.50. Also, at about 02.40, two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force took off from the 86th Borca Air Base. The Spanish aircraft completed their mission at about 03:00, and the Romanian Air Force aircraft - at about 05:00," the Romanian Defense Ministry said.

As stated, "during this time, Romania's radar surveillance system did not record the intrusion into the national airspace of drones involved in the attack on Ukrainian targets.

The Romanian Defense Ministry has reportedly "informed and continues to inform allied structures in real time about the situation caused by the attacks, staying in constant contact with them.

"The Ministry of National Defense reiterates its strong condemnation of these attacks carried out by the Russian Federation on certain objects and elements of Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, which are unjustified and grossly violate international law," the Romanian Ministry of National Defense said.