RAF fighter jets scrambled to threat of Russian drones on Nato border
Two RAF jets took to the air in the early hours of Saturday morning to respond to the threat of Russian drones on the NATO border.
Romania’s defense ministry said Russia had seized drone parts following an overnight attack on neighboring Ukraine, which damaged a power pole and a house annex in the southeastern city of Galati.
It is understood that two Eurofighter Typhoons took off from Borcea Air Base in Romania, which shares a 650-kilometre land border with Ukraine, and Russian drones repeatedly violated airspace as they attacked Ukrainian ports on the other side of the Danube from Moscow.
However, UK Ministry of Defense sources emphasized that the RAF Typhoons did not enter Ukrainian airspace and did not attack any Russian assets. The two planes have now returned to base.
Romanian emergency services had to evacuate the area where the drone parts were found due to concerns they might contain explosives. The parts will now be disposed of in a safe location.
While drone parts routinely fall in Romania, Saturday was the first time property was damaged.
“The defense ministry unequivocally condemns the irresponsible actions of the Russian Federation and emphasizes that they pose a new challenge to regional security and stability in the Black Sea region,” the Romanian defense ministry said in a statement. he said.
“Such incidents show that the Russian Federation does not respect the norms of international law and endanger not only the security of Romanian citizens, but also the collective security of NATO.”
This comes as tensions have risen on Europe’s eastern flank in recent months after suspected Russian drones violated the airspace of several NATO countries.
Romanian law allows it to shoot down drones in peacetime if lives or property are at risk, but it has not yet done so.
Russian forces launched more than 600 drones and 47 missiles across Ukraine on Saturday night, the country’s air force said.
Volodymyr Zelensky stated that at least four people were killed and more than 30 people were injured across Ukraine, and called for “immediate and decisive action” from partners.
It comes amid fears that Vladimir Putin could make progress in his attack on Ukraine while the world’s attention turns to the Middle East, with the Russian president profiting from rising gas and oil prices caused by the Iran war.
Last month, defense secretary John Healey confirmed that Britain and its allies had been tracking a Russian attack submarine and two spy submarines that were navigating critical undersea cables in the North Atlantic for a month before withdrawing.
He said Putin was trying to take advantage of the world’s “distraction” over the Iran war and that he posed the “primary threat to Britain’s security”.
Mr Healey told a Downing Street press conference on Thursday that in the past few weeks – despite many people’s focus on the Middle East crisis – the UK, along with Norway and other allies, had responded to “increasing Russian activity” in the Atlantic north of the UK.
Addressing the Russian president, Mr Healey said: “We see your activities on our cables and pipelines and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will lead to serious consequences.”
