Firefighters douse flames in the Odesa region of Ukraine on Nov. 11, 2025, following a Russian drone attack. Debris from a drone fell across the border onto Romanian soil, the country’s defense ministry reported. (Facebook/State Emergency Service of Odesa Region)
STUTTGART, Germany — Fragments of a suspected Russian drone landed in Romanian territory Tuesday in an apparent spillover from fighting in neighboring Ukraine, Romanian authorities said this week.
The incident, which triggered the activation of anti-aircraft systems, comes as Romania and other allies on NATO’s eastern flank look for new ways to counter Russian drone incursions.
While Romanian fighter planes were alerted in response to a group of drones flying near the country’s territory, weather conditions prevented the aircraft from taking flight, the Romanian defense ministry said in a statement.
The incident coincided with Russian airstrikes across the border on Ukrainian ports along the Danube, suggesting the incursion was accidental.
“Teams of soldiers went to the scene and reported the presence of possible drone fragments,” according to the defense ministry, which said the remnants were about 5 miles from Ukraine’s border. “The area was secured, and the investigations will be carried out in the early hours of the morning.”
NATO countries have been dealing with numerous drone intrusions, some of which have been attributed to Russia, such as a major cross-border incursion in Poland in September that involved around 20 drones.
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” over the weekend, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said the repeated violations of NATO airspace by Russian drones or fighter jets show that the alliance’s deterrence efforts are not working.
Other similar incidents have also sparked concerns. Last week, drones were spotted near an allied air base in Belgium.
The drone flights around Kleine-Brogel Air Base appeared to be a spying operation, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said at the time. While the incident hasn’t been formally pinned on the Kremlin, Francken said Russia was a suspect.
NATO countries have been looking for ways to boost their defenses in response, with increased surveillance by allied aircraft and the deployment of new counter-drone weapons systems.
For example, Romania and Poland recently deployed the American MEROPS anti-drone system, an inexpensive, easy-to-transport weapon that uses artificial intelligence to jam or take down opposing drones.
The system has already been put to use by forces in Ukraine.
