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26th December 2025
03:54pm GMT
NATO jets were ordered take off immediately in the early hours of Boxing Day, in response to the latest Russian attacks against Ukraine.
Overnight, Russia targeted the Ukrainian region of Odesa Oblast, which borders Romania and Moldova, with drone attacks.
Russia was targeting their ports and energy infrastructure, according to officials.
Offers for a “Christmas truce” with Ukraine over the festive period were rejected by Russia, who said they didn’t want to give Ukraine “breathing space”.
Ukraine then responded by firing UK-made Storm Shadow missiles, causing “numerous explosions” at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery.
According to the Romanian Ministry of Defence, at 1:05am local time on 26 December, due to the latest attacks by Russia, NATO fighter jets were ordered to monitor the skies.
“On the night of December 25 to 26, at 1:05 a.m., two F-16 fighter jets from the 86th Air Base in Fetești were taken into the air to monitor the air situation in the border area with Ukraine, in the north of Tulcea County”, they said in a statement.
“The aerial surveillance system of the Ministry of National Defense has identified groups of drones launched by the Russian Federation towards Ukrainian ports on the Danube.”
An air raid warning was received at 1:23 local time this morning by people living in the northern part of Tulcea County, but no Russian drones crossed from Ukraine into Romanian airspace.
The fighter jets then returned to base at 3:15am.
Romania, a NATO country, is prepared to shoot down any Russian drones that cross from Ukraine and fly into the country’s airspace, Romanian President Nicușor Dan previously said.
The latest developments come a day after NATO jets were scrambled in response to Russian jets flying close to British waters on Christmas Day.
Russia’s Defence Ministry did not identify which countries’ NATO jets accompanied the Russian jets.
