NATO member Romania finds drone fragments after Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports

Romania found drone fragments on its territory in an inhabited area near its southeastern border region on Tuesday, following Russian strikes on Ukrainian Danube River ports overnight, according to authorities.

Romanian radars detected groups of drones near the NATO member's airspace just after midnight on Tuesday, prompting emergency authorities to issue an alert to residents of the northern areas of Tulcea County, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence said.

"An alert message was issued for the population in northern Tulcea county. A large number of explosions were recorded on the Ukrainian side of the Danube, in the area of ​​the Izmail port," the defence ministry said in a statement.

Weather conditions did not allow for fighter jets to be deployed, the ministry said, but military teams were able to recover possible drone fragments some five kilometres inside Romania's border with Ukraine.

After the defence ministry's statement, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu confirmed in a post on X that the drone fragments landed in an inhabited area on Romanian territory.

"These actions are part of a series of similar incidents and represent a characteristic of the war of aggression waged by Russia," she said.

"This is also reflected in Russia’s systematic provocations against the EU and NATO."

"We will not hesitate to increase the price that Russia pays for such reckless and illegal actions," she added, noting that new sanctions are being prepared to "impose a substantial cost" on Russia.

Breaches of Romania's airspace by drones have become increasingly frequent in recent months as Russia targets Danube River ports just across the border in Ukraine.

Officials have stated that samples collected from sites where drone fragments were found are similar to those used by the Russian army.

Defending NATO's eastern flank

Romania and Poland are now deploying a new weapons system to defend against Russian drones following a spate of incursions into NATO airspace in recent months that exposed the alliance’s vulnerabilities.

The American Merops system, which is small enough to fit in the back of a pickup truck, can identify drones and close in on them, using artificial intelligence to navigate when satellite and electronic communications are jammed.

As well as being deployed in Poland and Romania, Merops will also be used by Denmark, NATO military officials said.

The Merops deployment comes just weeks after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the Eastern Sentry programme, which aims to deter further Russian airspace incursions.

"We see drones violating our airspace. Whether it was intentional or not, it is unacceptable. The allies have expressed full solidarity with Poland. It is crucial to counter aggression and defend every member of the Alliance," the NATO chief said.

"The defence of the eastern flank is our key task. That is why we are launching the Eastern Sentry initiative to further strengthen our eastern flank."