The Eurofighter Storm plane established radar contact with a goal positioned above the Ukrainian territory. The pilots had been licensed to have interaction the drones, however they didn’t fireplace on the drone.
A Russian drone, a part of a swarm of 15 Russian OWA (One Method Assault) drones crashed within the municipality of Galați, Romania, early within the morning on Apr. 25, 2026, destroying a home extension and an electrical energy pole. No casualties had been reported. Two Royal Air Drive Eurofighters deployed to Romania to assist NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing mission had been scrambled from the 86th Air Base in Fetești to intercept the drones approaching the Romanian airspace.
Right here’s the official assertion launched by the Romanian Ministry of Defence:
On Saturday morning, April twenty fifth, the Russian forces resumed the drone assaults in opposition to the civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, close to the river border with Romania, in Tulcea County.
The Ministry of Nationwide Defence (MoND) radars detected drones working near Romania’s airspace. Two British Air Drive Eurofighter Storm plane conducting Enhanced Air Policing mission scrambled at 02:00 from the 86th Air Base in Fetești.
The Nationwide Navy Command Middle notified the Basic Inspectorate for Emergency Conditions to ascertain inhabitants alert measures within the localities of Grindu and Isaccea, Tulcea County. A RO-ALERT message was issued at 02:14.
The Eurofighter Storm plane established radar contact with a goal positioned 1.5 km from Reni port metropolis, above the Ukrainian territory. The pilots had been licensed to have interaction the drones.
Floor-based MoND radars tracked a bunch of targets as much as the world of Reni port metropolis, Ukraine, the place a number of explosions had been reported.
At 02:31, the residents of the town of Galați reported, through the 112 emergency service, the autumn of an object within the Bariera Traian space.
Specialised groups of the Basic Inspectorate for Emergency Conditions and different buildings of the Ministry of Inside Affairs are conducting investigations on website.
No casualties have been reported.
Preliminary assessments point out that an outbuilding inside a family and an electrical energy pole had been affected, with no vital injury.
Drone fragments have been recognized in a number of areas within the space, which has been secured by the Romanian Police and the Ministry of Nationwide Defence army personnel.
The Ministry of Nationwide Defence strongly condemns the irresponsible actions of the Russian Federation and emphasizes that they pose a brand new problem to regional safety and stability within the Black Sea space.
Such incidents display the Russian Federation’s disregard for worldwide regulation and endanger not solely the Romanian residents’ security but additionally NATO’s collective safety.
Romania stays firmly dedicated to fulfilling its obligations as a member state of the Alliance and can proceed to work carefully with its companions and allies to watch and defend its nationwide airspace.
As defined by the Romanian MOD, “The Eurofighter Storm plane established radar contact with a goal positioned 1.5 km from Reni port metropolis, above the Ukrainian territory. The pilots had been licensed to have interaction the drones.” Regardless of some media studies of a direct engagement between a NATO fighter and a Russian plane over Ukraine, the Romanian Ministry of Nationwide Protection defined that the British pilots didn’t shoot down the drone:
In an intervention on Digi24, Colonel Cristian Popovici, head of the Data Directorate of the Ministry of Nationwide Protection, acknowledged that the British pilots did NOT fireplace on the drone that crashed in Galati, as a result of neither they nor the bottom radars “noticed” the goal in Romanian airspace, however solely over Ukraine. “There was a swarm of 15 drones within the route of Reni, which all of a sudden disappeared from the radars, after which explosions adopted in Ukraine. We aren’t allowed to intervene on the territory of Ukraine ,” mentioned Popovici. The army doesn’t rule out that the drone received misplaced and was not seen by the radars, because of the low altitude at which it got here.
The RAF Eurofighters deployed to Romania for a 4‑month NATO Air Policing mission on the Alliance’s japanese flank in March.
Working from Fetești or Borcea Air Base as a part of the 121 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) the Eurofighters conduct enhanced Air Policing inside NATO’s Jap Sentry vigilance exercise.
The RAF detachment and supporting personnel took duty from the German Eurofighter contingent.
