Drone Incursions Near Danube Keep Romanian Border Towns on Edge

Residents of Romanian towns along the Danube are living with disrupted sleep and persistent anxiety as the war in neighbouring Ukraine pushes exploding drones and air raid alerts close to their homes.

In Isaccea, a small border town in eastern Tulcea County with a crossing into Ukraine, 48-year-old Robert Marian described being jolted awake by a blast. "I was sleeping, it was midnight... I got so scared I went out of my house," he said, recalling that he wept from fright near the town hall. He said drones have been more frequent this year, with two or three weekends standing out.

Another resident, Alina Mihail, said the noise at night is severe and that a window in her house broke. "All Isaccea knows when I was shouting in the night, running through the town, not knowing where to hide," she said, adding that she believes the war is not Romania's.

Data from Romania's Ministry of National Defense shows a threefold increase in drone incursions this year, with 27 recorded compared to 9 in all of 2025. More than double the number of drones and drone debris was found on the NATO member's territory, at 37 compared to 16. Romania has shot down four drones this year, a first since the conflict began, following dozens of attacks near the border.

Interim Defense Minister Radu Miruta said the proximity of Russian attacks on Ukrainian Danube ports leaves a dangerously short window to react once a border is crossed. "The specific thing in Romania is the fact that the attacks of the Russians happen on objectives that are a few tens of meters from the Romanian border," he said. "We see the drones coming... Most stop there and they'll be bombing the port infrastructure, but we don't know if one will pass through to the other side into Romania."

Miruta also said more than 1,000 US soldiers are stationed in the country, though he described the exact number as a strategic matter for the United States to communicate. He called the growth in that figure a relevant signal amid a dynamic security situation on the eastern flank.

In response to the growing threats, Romanian President Nicusor Dan announced that defense spending would reach up to 3.7% of GDP this year. The country is also joining NATO's Drone Edge project to bolster counter-drone capabilities.

The drone blasts just across the Danube serve as a reminder of how close the war is to NATO territory, at a time when many fear Russian President Vladimir Putin might seek to test the alliance's resolve.