Violations of non-combatant airspaces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

During the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the airspaces of non-combatant neighbouring countries, particularly Poland, Moldova, and Romania, have been violated on several occasions.

List of incidents

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Date Non-combatant country Committed by Nature of violation
March 10, 2022   Croatia
  Hungary
  Romania
Unknown 2022 Zagreb Tu-141 crash: A Ukrainian unmanned drone, a Tupolev Tu-141, crashed in Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia, after travelling through Croatian, Hungarian and Romanian airspace.[1][2]
March 14, 2022   Romania   Russia A Russian Orlan-10 drone crashed in the Bistrița-Năsăud County. Initially thought to be a privately-owned commercial drone, it was soon identified to be an Orlan-10 of the Russian army.[3][4]
November 15, 2022   Poland   Ukraine 2022 missile explosion in Poland: A Ukrainian air-defence missile became out of control and crashed into a grain facility in the village of Przewodów, killing two people.[5]
February 10, 2023   Moldova   Russia A Russian missile violated Moldovan airspace, resulting in the Russian ambassador to Moldova being summoned in protest.[6]
August 1, 2023   Poland   Belarus Two Belarusian helicopters violated Polish airspace, with the Belarusian chargé d'affaires summoned by Poland in response.[7]
September 4–9, 2023   Romania   Russia A Russian drone fell on Romanian territory during the attacks on the night of September 3 to 4. The claims were initially denied,[8] however, on September 5, drone fragments were identified near the village of Plauru on the Ukrainian border.[9] Other drone fragments were discovered on September 9.[10]
September 13, 2023   Romania   Russia The crew of a Romanian Air Force helicopter identified fragments from a drone between the villages of Nufăru and Victoria, after a Russian attack on the Ukrainian port of Izmail.[11] According to the locals, the drone fell about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) away from a military unit located in the area.[12]
September 30, 2023   Romania   Russia A Russian drone was detected in Romanian airspace by the Romanian defence ministry during an overnight drone attack against Ukraine.[13]
December 14, 2023   Romania   Russia A Russian drone violated Romanian airspace and crashed on Romanian territory, resulting in German and Romanian fighter jets being scrambled.[14]
December 29, 2023   Poland   Russia A Russian missile violated Polish airspace for less than three minutes, during which time the missile was tracked by Polish and allied radar systems. The Russian chargé d'affaires was summoned by Poland in response.[15][16]
March 24, 2024   Poland   Russia A Russian cruise missile, aimed at Ukraine, violated Polish airspace for 39 seconds, near the village of Oserdów. In response, Polish and allied aircraft were activated.[17][18]
September 7, 2024   Latvia   Russia The drone crashed in the Rēzekne Municipality after flying through Belarus.[19] A week before the incident, on August 27, 2024, the Minister of Defense of Latvia announced a "concrete reaction" in response if incidents involving a Russian drone continue to be repeated on NATO territory[20]
September 8, 2024   Romania   Russia The drone violated the airspace of Romania, its wreckage is being searched for in a deserted area on the outskirts of the city of Periprava[21]

References

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  1. ^ "Military drone from Ukraine war crashes into Croatian capital Zagreb". The Guardian. Associated Press. 2022-03-11. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  2. ^ "'Jarunski' dron pripadao je ukrajinskim vojnim snagama". Nacional. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  3. ^ Sabău, Cristiana (14 March 2022). "Cazul "drona căzută la Tărpiu" va fi cercetat de Parchetul de pe lângă Curtea de Apel Cluj". TimpOnline (in Romanian).
  4. ^ Stăniloiu, Cosmin (15 March 2022). "Aviația ucraineană spune că drona căzută lângă Bistrița e a armatei ruse. O alta, care a survolat Polonia, e fost doborâtă". Libertatea (in Romanian).
  5. ^ "Polish experts confirm missile that hit grain facility was Ukrainian - media". Reuters. September 26, 2023.
  6. ^ "Moldova briefly shuts airspace after report of balloon-like object". Reuters. February 15, 2023.
  7. ^ "Poland says two Belarusian helicopters violated its airspace, adding to tensions". AP News. 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  8. ^ "Bucharest Denies Ukrainian Claim That Russian Drone Detonated On Romanian Territory". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. September 4, 2023.
  9. ^ "Nato pledges 'strong solidarity' with Romania over likely Russian drone debris". The Guardian. September 6, 2023.
  10. ^ "Romania finds new suspected Russian drone fragments on its territory". Reuters. September 9, 2023.
  11. ^ "Romania Finds Possible Drone Fragments After Russian Attack Hits Ukrainian Ports". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. September 13, 2023.
  12. ^ Bejan, Gabriel; Cozmei, Victor (September 13, 2023). "Mărturiile localnicilor din Nufăru, Tulcea, despre drona care a explodat la ei în comună: "A căzut aproape de o unitate militară"". HotNews (in Romanian).
  13. ^ "Romania: Possible airspace breach during Ukraine drone attack". Reuters. September 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Newdick, Thomas (2023-12-14). "NATO Fighters Scrambled As Russian Drone Violates Romanian Airspace". The War Zone. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  15. ^ "Poland says Russian rocket entered its airspace, summons diplomat". Reuters. December 30, 2023.
  16. ^ "Poland says Russian missile briefly entered its airspace". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  17. ^ Chen, Heather; Pennington, Josh; Jeong, Sophie; Kostenko, Maria (2024-03-24). "Poland activates aircraft after Russian cruise missile aimed at Ukraine enters its airspace". CNN. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  18. ^ "Russia violates Poland's airspace during cruise missile attack on western Ukraine". The Independent. 2024-03-24. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  19. ^ "Latvia says Russian drone that violated airspace came through Belarus". Politico Europe. 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  20. ^ "Sprūds: Iespējama krievu drona ielidošana Polijā ir NATO dienas kārtībā". Latvijas Avīze (in Latvian). 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  21. ^ "While Ukraine Repelled Another Blow, Romania Raised 2 F-16s Just to Monitor russian Drone That Invaded Country's Airspace". Defense Express. 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2024-09-09.