NATO member Romania has lodged a formal protest with the Russian embassy in response to the discovery of fragments of a drone, similar to those used by the Russian army. Romanian soldiers came across the debris in the Plauru area of Tulcea county, just across the border from Ukraine.

State Secretary Iulian Fota met with the Russian diplomat to express Romania's concerns about the violation of its airspace and urged Russia to halt actions against the Ukrainian population and infrastructure. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also discussed the finding during a phone call.

Stoltenberg acknowledged that there was no indication of intent to strike NATO, but emphasized the destabilizing effects of such actions. He also praised the US decision to bolster NATO air policing by deploying additional F-16 fighter jets. President Iohannis condemned the breach of Romanian sovereign airspace as "absolutely unacceptable."

In response to repeated Russian attacks on Danube ports and infrastructure, Romania has strengthened monitoring and airspace security measures. Drone debris had been discovered in the Plauru area earlier in the week, some distance from the latest find, which is currently under analysis.

The revelation of possible drone debris follows Romania's repeated dismissal of claims by Kyiv that Iranian-made Russian drones fell and detonated on Romanian territory during an attack on the Ukrainian port of Izmail. NATO has been focused on preventing the conflict in Ukraine from spilling over onto its territory since Russia's invasion last year.

Russia has escalated attacks on Ukraine's southern regions, particularly Odesa and Mykolaiv, which are vital for agricultural exports following the collapse of a grain shipment agreement from Black Sea ports.