NATO jets were deployed from a base in Romania after Russia executed a significant aerial assault on Ukrainian targets situated near the border of the military alliance.
Two German Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes were scrambled overnight into Wednesday to monitor the situation.
The response was triggered by a massive Russian barrage involving drones and missiles aimed at the Odesa region in southern Ukraine.
Massive Barrage Targets Port Infrastructure
The Russian attack targeted critical port and oil facilities along the Danube River, with strikes occurring less than a mile from Romanian territory.
Moscow launched a total of 93 Shahed-style drones and a number of ballistic missiles in what has been described as the largest such attack this month.
Ukrainian air defense systems successfully intercepted 62 of the drones.
Additional strikes were also reported in Ukraine’s Sumy and Donetsk regions as part of the widespread assault.
NATO Monitors Threat Near Border
The German aircraft were dispatched from the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania as a precautionary measure.
This deployment is part of NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing mission, a defensive operation designed to safeguard the airspace of member nations.
Romania’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the military response, noting the jets’ role was to patrol and secure the airspace near the unfolding conflict.
The heightened military activity comes shortly after former U.S. President Donald Trump held separate discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
These events precede a planned meeting between NATO’s Joint Chiefs and their counterparts to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.
