Romania scrambles F-16 jets amid Russian attack on Ukraine’s Odesa region

Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets overnight on December 26 following a new attack by Russian drones on Ukrainian ports in the Odesa region.

The Romanian Ministry of National Defense reported this, Ukrinform said, citing NewsMaker.

The aircraft monitored the airspace near the border with Ukraine, while residents of the northern part of Tulcea County were alerted by Romanian authorities via the RO-Alert system.

“On the night of December 25–26, at 01:05, two F-16 fighter jets from the 86th Air Base in Fetești took off to monitor the air situation in the border area with Ukraine, in the north of Tulcea County. The Ministry of National Defense’s air surveillance system detected groups of drones sent by the Russian Federation toward Ukrainian ports on the Danube,” the statement said.

According to Romania’s defense ministry, the drones did not violate Romanian airspace.

The fighter jets returned to their air base at 03:15, ministry officials said.

As reported by Ukrinform, Ukrainian air defenses neutralized 73 out of 99 drones launched by Russia against Ukraine starting in the evening of December 25. A ballistic missile strike and hits by 26 attack UAVs were recorded.

As a result of the Russian attack on sea ports in the Odesa region, vessels flying the flags of Slovakia and the Republic of Palau, as well as grain elevators and warehouses, were damaged.

Photo: Forţele Aeriene Române