Romania scrambles F-16s as Russia hits Ukraine ports
The Romanian Ministry of National Defense (MApN) announced that the Russian Federation resumed drone attacks on civilian targets and port infrastructure in southern Ukraine, close to Romania's border, on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
In this context, two Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft were scrambled to monitor the airspace, news.ro reported.
According to MApN, the attacks occurred on the night of July 1. Subsequently, the National Military Command Center notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations to implement public alert measures for Tulcea County residents. As a result, RO-Alert messages were sent to inhabitants of the border area, warning them about the risk of objects falling from the airspace.
At 11:15 PM, two Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft took off from the 86th Borcea Air Base to monitor the aerial situation near the Ukrainian border, the Ministry stated in a press release issued Wednesday morning.
The Ministry informed allied structures in real-time and maintains constant contact with them amid tensions on NATO's eastern flank.
"The Ministry of National Defense sends a strong message condemning these attacks carried out by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian civilian targets and infrastructure, which are unjustified and in grave contradiction with the norms of international law," the statement further said.
This marks at least the third instance in recent weeks where Romanian authorities have issued security alerts for Tulcea County residents due to the intensified Russian aerial attacks on southern Ukraine, particularly targeting ports on the Danube and Black Sea.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
