Romania's Air Force intercepted a Russian drone in national airspace on September 13th, 2025, after it entered Romanian territory and disappeared from radar while being tracked by F-16 fighter jets scrambled from Fetești Air Base. The drone was tracked until approximately 20 km southwest of Chilia Veche, where it crashed, according to the Romanian Ministry of Defense. Two F-16s were deployed to monitor the situation near the border with Ukraine, as reported by the Ministry of National Defense (MAPN). The interception occurred within the current reporting window, which began at 4:47 PM UTC. The Romanian Minister of Defense, Ionuţ Moriţ, stated that Russian drones entering Romanian airspace will be shot down, emphasizing continuous linkage with the NATO command center. This development follows earlier alerts and air operations in Poland and Romania. Between 4:02 PM UTC and 4:16 PM UTC, air raid warnings were issued in six poviats of Poland's Lubelskie Voivodeship due to a threat of aerial attack. Simultaneously, a Russian Shahed-type drone reportedly entered Romanian territory, prompting warnings for residents in northern Romania's Tulcea County. Previously, Polish and allied aviation operations in Polish airspace concluded by 4:46 PM UTC, with ground air defense and radar systems returning to standard operations, according to the Polish Army Operations Command. This operation was conducted in response to Russian unmanned air objects near the Polish border and over Romanian territory. Lublin Airport in eastern Poland had remained closed due to "unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security."
