Romania scrambled F-16s after aerial contacts from Ukraine approached border
Two F-16s were sent after radar detected five aerial contacts near Izmail; one target crossed about two kilometres into Romanian airspace.
Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets late at night after radar systems detected five aerial contacts near the country's border with Ukraine, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence reported.
The contacts were first observed at 01:27 in the Izmail area, over Ukrainian territory close to Romania's frontier.
One contact entered Romanian airspace briefly
Ground radar recorded that one of the targets briefly penetrated Romanian airspace, advancing about two kilometres and remaining inside Romanian airspace for roughly 10 minutes before exiting and returning toward Ukraine.
Romanian F-16s were dispatched to monitor the situation while ground systems tracked the incursions. Shortly after the events, explosions were registered over Ukrainian territory, the ministry said.
The incident occurred amid an increase in Russian strikes against targets in Ukraine near the Romanian border, raising concerns among authorities in the region.
No further details about the nature of the aerial contacts or any damage were released in the initial statement.
Photo: press material from the event
