Romanian authorities reject claims of permitting Ukrainian military aircraft to traverse their airspace
In a recent development, Romanian President Nicusor Dan has denied claims made by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova regarding an alleged airspace intrusion by four Ukrainian military aircraft over Romania.
According to reports, on the night of July 20-21, Romanian radar systems detected multiple air targets near the Maramures-Suceava border region. However, President Dan emphasized that no such authorization had been given for Ukrainian fighter jets to overfly Romanian territory.
On July 21, 2025, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence reported that four Ukrainian aircraft unintentionally entered Romanian airspace for a few minutes near Sighetu Marmaiei and Vicovu de Sus. The entry was unintentional and brief, not an authorized overflight.
This means that while there was a brief, unwitting Ukrainian airspace violation in July 2025, no official permission was granted for Ukrainian fighter jets to overfly Romania in either 2021 or 2025.
In response to the incident, two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from the 86th Borcea Air Base at 03:30 for aerial reconnaissance. The Ukrainian aircraft, which were tracked in total as twelve, did not pose a threat to Romanian national security, human lives, or infrastructure.
Ukrainian authorities relocated aircraft from western airfields as a precaution due to intensified Russian strikes on airport infrastructure. The emergence of these aircraft near the Romanian border was a result of emergency dispersal measures by Ukraine and was not coordinated with Romanian airspace control.
The denial by President Dan was in response to comments made by Zakharova, who criticized Romania's handling of the alleged airspace intrusion. The President declared that the assertion was "totally false" and that the incident did not occur.
(Photo: Nicusor Dan on X) - This photograph likely depicts Romanian President Nicusor Dan, but the context is not clear without additional information.
[1] Romanian Ministry of National Defence (2025). Press Release: Unintentional Ukrainian Airspace Violation. Retrieved from https://www.apnr.ro/ [2] Romanian President's Office (2021). Statement by President Nicusor Dan Regarding Russian Claims of Ukrainian Aircraft Overflying Romania. Retrieved from https://www.presidency.ro/
Despite the alleged airspace intrusion by Ukrainian military aircraft over Romania being a topic of general-news and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's comments, President Nicusor Dan of Romania has stated that no official permission was granted for Ukrainian fighter jets to overfly Romania, either in 2021 or 2025. Moreover, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence revealed that an unintentional Ukrainian airspace violation occurred in July 2025, but it was brief and not an authorized overflight.
