Romania scrambled combat aircraft on the night of 17 January

On the night of 17 January, Romania was forced to scramble its fighter jets after Russian drones attacked Ukrainian cities in the Danube region. Preliminary data suggests that one of the drones may have fallen on the Romanian bank. This was reported by local outlet Digi24.

An air raid alert was issued for residents of Romanian settlements located along the Danube at 01:46. At that time, explosions were observed on the Ukrainian side.

The Romanian Ministry of Defence later confirmed that two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled in response to the threat. The aircraft returned to base two hours later. 

At the same time, the ministry stated that a possible drone crash site had been identified in the area of the village of Plauru, opposite the Ukrainian city of Izmail. Specialists are working at the scene, collecting materials for further investigation.

The Romanian Ministry of National Defence condemned Russia’s attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, describing them as unjustified and in violation of international norms. The ministry also reported the incident to NATO structures.