Russian drones breach airspace of NATO members Romania and Latvia

• The drone had entered Latvian airspace from Belarus and crashed near the city of Rezekne.
• Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, called for maximum support from Ukraine’s allies.
• Romania has seen Russian drone fragments stray into its territory repeatedly over the past year.

On Sunday, authorities in Romania and Latvia, both NATO members and supporters of Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia, reported investigating incidents where Russian drones crashed after breaching their airspace.

The incidents led officials to call for joint measures to counter Russian air incursions. NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana condemned the breaches as “irresponsible and potentially dangerous” but stated that there was no evidence suggesting a deliberate attack on Alliance member states.

The Romanian defense ministry reported that the “radar supervision system identified and tracked a drone that entered national airspace before exiting toward Ukraine.” Romania then scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to monitor the incursion and warned residents of the southeastern counties of Tulcea and Constanta to take cover.

“From existing data, the possibility of an impact zone on national territory was identified, in an uninhabited area near the village of Periprava,” the ministry added.

Ministry personnel searched the area of impact. In Latvia, which borders both Russia and its close ally Belarus, President Edgars Rinkevics posted on the social media platform X that his government was seeking a unified NATO response.

“The number of such incidents is increasing along the Eastern flank of NATO and we must address them collectively,” Rinkevics wrote.

The LETA news agency reported that the defense ministry’s initial investigation revealed the drone had entered Latvian airspace from Belarus and crashed near the city of Rezekne.

Leonids Kalnins, Commander of Latvia’s Joint Headquarters, said experts believed the drone “did not have a specific purpose to fly into Latvia.”

Defense Minister Andris Spruds, quoted by LETA, said the incident was “confirmation that we need to continue the work we have started to strengthen Latvia’s eastern border, including the development of air defense capabilities and electronic warfare capabilities…”

Ukraine’s newly-appointed Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, wrote on X that the two cases served as “a stark reminder that Russia’s aggressive actions extend beyond Ukraine” and called for maximum support from Ukraine’s allies.

Romania, sharing a 650-km (400-mile) border with Ukraine, has seen Russian drone fragments stray into its territory repeatedly over the past year. Romanian territory is just a few hundred meters from Ukrainian Danube River ports, which are frequent Russian targets.

“There weren’t serious issues on the ground,” Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told reporters on Sunday after consulting with the defense minister.

“(Attacks) will continue. That is it, we have a war on the border.”

Romanian lawmakers plan to consider legislation during their current session that would allow Romania to shoot down drones invading the country’s airspace during peacetime.

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