NATO Jets Scrambled As Russian Drones Breach Romanian Airspace For The 13th Time

Last Updated:November 25, 2025, 22:38 IST

Nato jets scrambled as two Russian drones entered Romania, one downed in Puieşti. Moldova reported six drones. Gen Christopher Donahue announced new anti-drone tech for Romania.

Romania’s defence minister Ionuț Moşteanu said the German pilots were given the order to shoot down the second drone but it likely crashed possibly after running out of fuel.

For the 13th time, NATO jets were scrambled after two Russian drones crossed into Romania on Tuesday.

According to The Guardian, German Typhoon and Romanian F-16 fighter jets took off in pairs to follow the uncrewed aircraft. The first entered Ukrainian airspace and the second was found downed in Puieşti, about 70 miles from Ukraine.

Romania’s Defence Minister, Ionuț Moşteanu, said the German pilots were given the order to shoot down the second drone, but it likely crashed, possibly after running out of fuel.

“It could have been destroyed if all the conditions had been met… the pilots needed to see it, to engage it, to lock it on radar and to be able to fire a missile at it," he said.

The Defence Ministry said the first drone was detected at 6:28 am (local time) and the second at 7:50 am.

According to The Guardian, this was the 13th time Romanian airspace has been breached by Russian drones, the third incident in the past week, and the first during daytime.

Meanwhile, Moldova reported six drones entering its territory. One of the drones reportedly was a delta-wing model with a Russian ‘Z’ symbol spray-painted on the tailfin.

The Guardian quoted the police as saying the drone was an unarmed Gerbera decoy, used by the Russians to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences and increasingly in incursions into the airspace of neighbouring countries.

General Christopher Donahue, the commander of the US Army in Europe and Africa, said during a visit to Romania’s Mihail Kogǎlniceanu airbase that a new capability to shoot down drones would be deployed to the country.

“We have tested and it is in the final stages of being employed. Romanian soldiers and other alliance soldiers have been trained on this capability and I know you’re going to see this capability in the delta [of the Danube] very soon," he said.

The European Union and NATO member shares a 650 km (400-mile) border with Ukraine and has repeatedly reported Russian drone fragments falling on its territory as Moscow targets Ukrainian port facilities along the Danube River, directly across from Romanian villages.

The drone incursion comes amid heightened vigilance across NATO’s eastern flank. Romania has previously protested to Russia over multiple incidents involving drone debris landing on its soil.

News world NATO Jets Scrambled As Russian Drones Breach Romanian Airspace For The 13th Time

Read More