NATO on Edge: Romanian Jets Scramble After Drone Breaches Airspace Near Ukraine Border

Rising tensions as Russian attacks spill across borders, testing NATO's tolerance and response

Natalie C. Frank, Ph.D September 14, 2025

Tasnim News Agency [CC BY 4.0]

UKRAIN - Romania scrambled F-16s on September 13 after a drone crossed into its airspace during a Russian strike on Ukrainian infrastructure near the border, the defense ministry said.

Defense Minister Ionuț Moșteanu said Romanian pilots nearly shot down the drone, which flew unusually low before leaving Romanian territory and heading back toward Ukraine.

The incident highlights growing risks for NATO members as Russia steps up drone attacks on Ukraine. Romania, a NATO and EU member with a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine, has already found fragments from Russian drones inside its territory several times since the war began.

The September 13 breach had wider effects in the region. Poland, still on edge after shooting down Russian drones earlier this month with NATO support, scrambled aircraft and briefly closed Lublin airport over the potential threat.

These repeated incursions raise urgent questions about how NATO allies will handle future escalations. Each event ramps up pressure on countries bordering Ukraine and tests both their defenses and NATO’s collective deterrence.