Romania, Latvia claim Russian drones violated their airspace

ISTANBUL

Romania and Latvia claimed on Sunday that Russian drones violated their airspace.

A statement by the Romanian Defense Ministry said two F-16 fighter jets were dispatched following warnings sounded in the country’s Black Sea regions of Tulcea and Costanta.

The statement further said that the country’s radar surveillance system identified a drone that crossed Romanian airspace as it was heading towards Ukraine.

It also said that the possibility of the drone crashing somewhere near the village of Periprava is being considered, and that an investigation is being conducted in the area.

The statement went on to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Latvia on Sunday also reported a Russian drone crashing on its soil.

In a statement on X, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said: “Russian military drone has crashed in the Eastern part of Latvia yesterday. There is an ongoing investigation. We are in close contact with our allies. The number of such incidents is increasing along the Eastern flank of NATO and we must address them collectively.”

Meanwhile, Latvia's Defense Ministry claimed that the crashed drone flew into the country from neighboring Belarus.

Ukraine’s Air Force claimed that its air defenses downed one of four missiles and 15 out of 23 drones launched by Russia overnight.

The statement said that the country’s air defenses worked in the southwestern Odesa region.

Neither Russian nor Belarusian authorities have yet commented on the claims.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​