Romania reports drone incursion as Poland, NATO allies step up response

Romania on Saturday, 13 September, became the newest NATO sentinel to feel the shadow of war, reporting a drone intruding into its skies even as Poland scrambled its own aircraft to meet the thunder of fresh Russian strikes just beyond the Ukrainian frontier, The Guardian reported.

Romania’s defence ministry reported that its skies were pierced amid Russia’s nocturnal assault on Ukraine’s infrastructure. In response, two F-16s took wing, cutting through the darkness to shadow the intruder until it vanished from the radar near the quiet village of Chilia Veche.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was deliberately widening its drone campaign and urged the West to impose tougher sanctions and strengthen collective defence. “The Russian military knows exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can operate,” he said, stressing that action must come before more Shahed drones and missiles strike.

In Washington, US president Donald Trump said he was prepared to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia — but only if all NATO allies acted in unison and stopped buying Russian oil.

Poland also reported scrambling helicopters and aircraft as Russian drones struck close to its border. Its military command said air defence systems had been placed on maximum alert. Prime minister Donald Tusk later confirmed the alert was lifted but warned: “We remain vigilant.”

Poland has already accused Russia of sending nearly 20 drones into its airspace earlier in the week. Moscow denies targeting Poland, but France, Germany and Sweden have pledged extra support for defending Polish skies.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the drone activity was “intentionally launched” but questioned whether Poland itself was the target. A deliberate strike, he cautioned, would be “highly escalatory.”

On Friday, Warsaw dismissed Trump’s suggestion that the incursions could have been accidental — an unusual rebuke of the US president by one of Washington’s closest European partners. Trump doubled down a day later, reiterating that sanctions would only come if NATO allies acted collectively.

Meanwhile, inside Russia, officials confirmed a Ukrainian drone attack on one of the country’s largest refineries in Ufa, 1,400 km from the front line. The strike sparked a fire and caused minor damage at the Bashneft-owned complex. Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency claimed responsibility, continuing its campaign to hit Russian energy infrastructure and erode the Kremlin’s war financing.