A NATO country was forced to scramble two fighter jets following yet another night of strikes carried out in Ukraine by Russia. Two F-16 fighter jets from Romania were scrambled Friday night after Russian drones were launched on Odessa in Ukraine.
A statement from the Romanian Ministry of Defence said: “Two F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets were scrambled during the night of November 21–22 from the 86th Air Base to monitor the air situation on the border with Ukraine in the context of attacks carried out by the Russian Federation near the river border with Romania.” At around 1.30am Saturday, an alert was issued to the Tulcea region in the far eastern region of Romania – which shares a border with Ukraine.
No drones were found to have made their way into Romanian airspace, and around two hours later, the fighter jets returned to the base in Borcea.
Their statement added: “We are in constant contact with our allies, sharing operational information in real time and acting decisively to guarantee the security of Romania and NATO’s eastern flank.”
The jets come at a time of tension between the two countries, as only three days ago, a Russian drone flew 8km into Romanian territory during a nighttime attack on Ukraine.
In recent days, Russia has upped its attacks on the southern and eastern regions of its neighbour. On November 22, Russia was reported to have launched one Iksander-M ballistic missile and 104 drone strikes – to which air defence shot down 89.
Russian drones were also reported to have hit the Orlivka border with Ukraine, causing it to close.
An official Romanian statement added: “All necessary measures are currently underway to eliminate the consequences. We ask that you use the nearest alternative border crossing points.”
On November 19, Polish jets were also scrambled after Russia’s continued bombing of the far east of Ukraine near the Polish border.
The strikes come despite a peace plan being tabled after a meeting between the US and Russia. The 28-point plan is said to have put Ukraine in an impossible position, choosing between “losing its dignity or losing a key partner” in the US.
Some of the conditions include handing over territory that is not occupied, and would also see Russia holding onto much of the Ukrainian territory that is under its occupation, including Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk. They would have to hold new elections within 100 days while also reducing the size of their military and abandoning hopes of joining NATO.
