President Nicușor Dan and defense minister Ionuț Moșteanu said on Wednesday, September 10, that Romania stands in full solidarity with Poland after Russian drones crossed into its airspace overnight, calling the incident an unacceptable violation of a NATO ally’s sovereignty and a dangerous escalation. The Polish military shot down the drones, saying the incident “posed a real threat” to the safety of citizens.
In a first reaction on X, president Dan said Russia has once again demonstrated that “it is behaving aggressively, constantly testing our limits and defying all our efforts to achieve peace.”
“This is unacceptable, Russia must be stopped and pressured to come to the negotiation table. Romania stands in full solidarity with Poland, our Ally and strategic partner. We are united to make NATO and especially the Eastern Flank, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, more secure. We will also continue to fully support Ukraine and its brave people who continue to be under merciless attack every day,” he said.
Russia has demonstrated again, also through the flagrant violation of Polish airspace last night, that it is behaving aggressively, constantly testing our limits and defying all our efforts to achieve peace.
This is unacceptable, Russia must be stopped and pressured to come to…
— Nicușor Dan (@NicusorDanRO) September 10, 2025
In his turn, defense minister Moșteanu stated, “Last night, Russian drones violated the airspace of Poland. A very serious incident, an unacceptable violation of a NATO ally’s airspace and a dangerous escalation by Russia.”
“We are in permanent contact with our allies. Romania stands in solidarity with Poland and, together with NATO, we will respond firmly to any attempt by Russia to endanger European security,” he added.
Poland’s military announced early Wednesday that it had shot down drones that entered its territory during a Russian strike on Ukraine.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk confirmed the incident on X, saying, “Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down. I am in constant communication with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies.”
He also said that Poland had requested invoking Article 4 of the NATO treaty.
Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones. Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down. I am in constant communication with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) September 10, 2025
The incident also drew sharp condemnation from Brussels. In her State of the EU speech, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen described the Russian drone incursion as a “reckless and unprecedented violation of Poland’s and Europe’s airspace,” adding: “Europe stands in full solidarity with Poland.”
According to CNN, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called it “the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began.” She said “indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental,” adding that Russia’s war seems to be escalating, not ending.
The BBC reported that Russia’s temporary chargé d’affaires in Poland rejected the claims that Russian drones entered Polish airspace.” We believe that the claims are groundless. There has been no evidence that these drones are of Russian provenance,” Andrey Ordash told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
The Polish authorities said searches and the location of possible crash sites for objects that violated Polish airspace are ongoing.
In related news, the Romanian Defense Ministry announced that it had also raised its alert levels overnight as Russian drones approached the border area near Vylkove in Ukraine. Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from Fetești air base shortly before 1 a.m. local time, and an emergency warning was issued in Tulcea county.
No drones entered Romanian territory, and the alert was lifted around 2:35 a.m.
“Romania maintains a high level of vigilance and ensures strict surveillance of its air, sea, and land borders,” the ministry said, adding that it continues to exchange real-time intelligence with NATO allies to safeguard the alliance’s eastern flank.
Back in May, Romania also enacted a law allowing its armed forces to shoot down unauthorized drones entering national airspace. The move came in response to a series of incidents involving drone incursions since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Several drones have entered or crashed within Romanian territory, raising concerns about national security and the legal limitations on military response.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Butenkow/Dreamstime.com)
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