NATO fighter jets scrambled as Putin kamikaze drones hit port by Romanian border

NATO warplanes were launched today after a suspected Russian drone crashed following an intrusion into Romanian airspace.

Footage showed a dramatic explosion, believed to have occurred at a port on the Ukrainian side of the Danube River, which forms the border with Romania.

But reports in Bucharest said the same wave of attacks had downed a Putin drone near Tulcea province on the Romanian side of the border.

The Russian incursion prompted a response from NATO fighters and an airstrike warning for residents near the Danube in Romania.

Residents were told to shelter in safe areas for 90 minutes during an emergency warning that objects could still fall from the sky.

File image shows a French Air Force Rafale B standard F4 fighter jet flying as part of NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing (eAP) mission in the Baltics, on December 17, 2024

Moment when a Russian drone is seen exploding in a Ukrainian port on the Danube River, while another Putin UAV reportedly struck NATO territory in Romania, leading to the takeoff of Western warplanes

Moment when a Russian drone is seen exploding in a Ukrainian port on the Danube River, while another Putin UAV reportedly struck NATO territory in Romania, leading to the takeoff of Western warplanes

The Romanian Ministry of Defense said: ‘At 1.35am, two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, part of the Air Police Combat Service, took off from the 86th Air Base in Borcea to monitor the air situation.

“The aircraft returned to base around 3:48 a.m.”

NATO structures were kept fully informed of the suspected illegal incursion by Russia, Romanian officials said.

“The Ministry of Defense sends a strong message condemning these attacks by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian civilian objects and infrastructure elements, which are unjustified and in serious contradiction of the norms of international law,” a Romanian statement said.

Several Russian drones are said to have been launched from Crimea and hit the port of Chilia Nouă, near the city of Chilia Veche.

Ukraine shot down some Russian drones before hitting the Romanian port of Antena 3 reports.

Drone fragments and airspace violations have occurred regularly over the past year and a half as Russia attacked Ukraine’s Danube port infrastructure.

Earlier this week, NATO warplanes were deployed to Poland amid a wave of Russian missile and drone attacks in western Ukraine, close to the alliance’s eastern flank.

Huge strategic bombers Tu-22 and Tu-95 had bombed Ukraine close to the border with Poland before NATO jets took off.

The attack was seen as immediate revenge for Tuesday’s Ukrainian airstrikes on Russia, the heaviest of the nearly three-year war.

In particular, Putin was shocked by Ukraine’s use of the British Storm Shadow and American ATACMS missiles that hit key defense facilities, including a chemical plant in the Bryansk region.

NATO forces were on full alert in Poland with fighter jets, the country’s operational command headquarters said.

A Scramble is triggered when an aircraft flies an invalid or incorrect flight plan; has no or no longer any communication with the relevant air traffic control authority; or does not communicate with air traffic control via the transponder,” NATO said.