Romanian fighter jet shot down suspected Russian plane | Border Conflict Issues

The incident adds to concerns that Moscow’s war on Ukraine risks destabilizing its NATO neighbors.

Romania’s warplanes have shot down a drone, believed to be Russian, that crashed into the country’s airport.

Friday’s incident is the first time an Eastern European country has intercepted an incoming airliner since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, President Nicusor Dan said.

However, concern that Moscow’s war in Ukraine could destabilize neighboring NATO countries it is rising. Romania is one of a number of alliance members that have recently come under fire from stray drones, with Russia and Ukraine launching hundreds of drones every day.

Dan said that a Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down the plane after it entered the country’s airspace, adding that the fighter fired at an uninhabited area.

A Romanian military expert told Reuters news agency that Russia was the suspected source, based on the events in the region.

Romania’s Defense Ministry said radar first detected the plane about 20km (12 miles) east of the Black Sea port of Sulina, before it overtook the international airport over the Braila, Fetesti and Buzau regions.

Two Italian Eurofighter Typhoon jets, sent to Romania under NATO command, were joined by Romanian F-16s. One F-16 intercepted the target with an air-to-air missile, crashing it into an uninhabited area near the village of Padina. No casualties or injuries were reported.

Romania, an EU and NATO member that shares a border with Ukraine, has recorded several drone attacks since the war began. This event was a successful first.

Late May, drone it hit a residential building in the city of Galatia, wounding two people – the first time such an attack took place in a populated area of ​​a NATO country.

NATO and European Union officials condemned the move. The European Commission said it showed Russia’s war had “crossed another line”.

A month later, a Ukrainian seaplane exploded in the port of Constanta. Kyiv claimed to have launched the ship, which was rocked by a Russian explosion.

The Baltic states have reported repeated air strikes in recent months, which the intervention contributed to the collapse of the Latvian government in May.

NATO chief Mark Rutte has said that “Moscow’s reckless behavior is dangerous for all of us”. The US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, has pledged that the alliance will “protect every inch” of its territory.