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Romania accuses Russia of incursion after drone enters airspace

Updated Sep 15, 2025, 9:48am EDT
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A NATO AWACS surveillance plane parked in Romania.
A NATO AWACS surveillance plane parked in Romania. George Calin/Inquam Photos/Reuters.

A Russian drone crossed into Romanian airspace over the weekend, days after Poland shot down several drones in its own territory. Romania scrambled fighter jets in response to the drone crossing into its territory, Bucharest said.

Poland last week shot down several Russian unmanned aircraft, but it too had to use expensive fighter aircraft and missiles.

Moscow’s mass use of drones makes Ukraine, which alone has the experience of defending mass drone assaults, “an essential partner” for Europe against Russia, La Matinale Européenne argued.

Drones are only going to become more important: A US startup will ship 33,000 AI-powered drones, capable of acting as a coordinated swarm, to Ukraine this year.

A chart showing monthly missiles and drones launched by Russia into Ukraine.
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