NATO fighter jets were scrambled on Saturday morning after Romania's Ministry of Defence radar surveillance system detected an aerial target near Snake Island, which belongs to Ukraine in the Black Sea.
Two Romanian F-16 combat jets took off from the 86th Air Base in Fetești, and residents in the Tulcea region were alerted by the military with a RO-ALERT at 4:45am. A further emergency message was sent out just under an hour later at 5:39am for the northern area of Tulcea County.
Emergency lasted until 5:52am
Romanian officials said that the emergency lasted until 5:52am, but no explanation has been given on the nature of the threat. An aerial emergency warning was also sounded on Friday evening after another threat was found south east of Snake Island in Ukrainian airspace.
As Russia's war in Ukraine continues, drone incursions into Romania's airspace have increased significantly in recent times. The alert system targets mobile phone towers in specific areas in Romania, and any compatible mobile device connected to those towers receives the alert immediately.
Residents fear war could spread
People living in eastern Tulcea County are now said to be used to hearing blasts coming from Ukraine, but they fear that Vladimir Putin might want to extend the war into Romania and test the resolve of NATO.
Robert Marian, 48, who lives in Isaccea, previously said of the Ro-ALERTs: “There are alerts warning us that something is coming. It happened two weeks ago, maybe three. I was asleep at midnight … One was quieter, but another was really loud. I got scared and ran out of the house.”
Alina Mihail, another Isaccea resident, says she feels sick when she hears the drone alerts and blasts ringing out across the border. “I have so many nights where I don’t sleep anymore,” she said. “I live in terror, me and my husband.”
Snake Island symbol of resistance
Meanwhile, Snake Island has become a symbol of Ukraine's resistance after soldiers told a Russian warship: "Go f**k yourself" at the start of the war. An audio clip spread across the world in February 2022, and a soldier from a Russian military ship was heard telling the Ukrainian guards to “lay down your arms immediately to avoid bloodshed and unjustified deaths” or else face bombardment. The guards defiantly responded: “Russian warship, go f*** yourself."
Ukrainian defenders on the island were captured and spent over 800 days in Russian captivity before being released in a prisoner exchange. The Russians grabbed the island but later retreated in a humiliating setback for Vladimir Putin, which was styled bizarrely a “gesture of goodwill” by Moscow.
