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.
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] |
Electromagnetic warfare or electronic warfare (EW) is warfare involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy operations. The purpose of electromagnetic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of—and ensure friendly unimpeded access to—the EM spectrum. Electromagnetic warfare can be applied from air, sea, land, or space by crewed and uncrewed systems, and can target communication, radar, or other military and civilian assets.
NASAMS is a distributed and networked short- to medium-range ground-based air defense system developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) and Raytheon. The system defends against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), helicopters, cruise missiles, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), and fixed wing aircraft, firing any of a wide range of existing missiles.
Moldova–Russia relations are the bilateral relations between the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation, two Eastern European, post-Soviet, ex-communist countries. Russian support for the self-proclaimed Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria) and a substantial Russian military presence therein strained Moldovan relations with Russia.
Ceatalchioi is a commune in Tulcea County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Ceatalchioi, Pătlăgeanca, Plauru, and Sălceni.
The foreign policy of Vladimir Putin concerns the policies of the Russian Federation's president Vladimir Putin with respect to other nations. He has held the office of the President previously from 2000 to 2008, and reassumed power again in 2012 and has been President since.
Relations between the NATO military alliance and the Russian Federation were established in 1991 within the framework of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. In 1994, Russia joined the Partnership for Peace program, and on 27 May 1997, the NATO–Russia Founding Act (NRFA) was signed at the 1997 Paris NATO Summit in France, enabling the creation of the NATO–Russia Permanent Joint Council (NRPJC). Through the early part of 2010s NATO and Russia signed several additional agreements on cooperation. The NRPJC was replaced in 2002 by the NATO-Russia Council (NRC), which was established in an effort to partner on security issues and joint projects together.
Naslavcea is a village in Ocnița District and the northernmost point in Moldova. The village, situated along the Dniester river that separates Moldova and Ukraine, has an ethnic Ukrainian majority.
The Orlan-10 is a reconnaissance, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Special Technology Center (STC) in Saint Petersburg for the Russian Armed Forces. The Orlan-10 features a composite fuselage that reduces its radar signature.
Events in the year 2021 in Ukraine.
Events from the year 2022 in Moldova.
On 10 March 2022 at 23:01 CET, an unidentified Soviet-made Tupolev Tu-141 reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. With an unidentified operator and unknown destination, the origin of the drone is presumed to be connected to military actions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The drone's flight over Croatia, Hungary and Romania prompted criticism of the countries' defense systems as the UAV was detected but not cleared. In response, the Croatian government restricted airspace over populous cities and received military support from France and the United States who dispatched multiple fighter-jets to Croatia days later for joint exercises.
The HESA Shahed 136, also known by its Russian designation Geran-2, is an Iranian-designed loitering munition, also referred to as a kamikaze drone or suicide drone, in the form of an autonomous pusher-propelled drone. It is designed and manufactured by the Iranian state-owned corporation HESA in association with Shahed Aviation Industries.
Russia launched waves of missile and drone strikes against energy in Ukraine as part of its invasion. From 2022 the strikes targeted civilian areas beyond the battlefield, particularly critical power infrastructure, which is considered a war crime. By mid-2024 the country only had a third of pre-war electricity generating capacity, and some gas distribution and district heating had been hit.
On 15 November 2022, a missile struck Polish territory, in the village of Przewodów near the border with Ukraine, killing two people. The incident occurred during attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure by Russia. It was the first incident of a foreign missile hitting NATO territory during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Initially Ukraine accused Russia of striking Poland, while United States claimed that the missile was likely to have been an air defence missile fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile. This was later confirmed in September 2023 by the Polish Prosecutor's Office, which stated that the explosion was caused by an out of control air-defence S-300 missile.
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, aerial warfare took place as early as the dawn of 24 February 2022, with Russian infantry and armored divisions entering into Eastern Ukraine with air support. Dozens of missile attacks were reported across Ukraine. The main infantry and tank attacks were launched in four spearhead incursions, creating a northern front launched towards Kyiv, a southern front originating in Crimea, a south-eastern front launched at the cities of Luhansk and Donbas, and an eastern front. Dozens of missile strikes across Ukraine also reached as far west as Lviv. Drones have also been a critical part of the invasion, particularly in regards to combined arms warfare. Drones have additionally been employed by Russia in striking Ukrainian critical infrastructure, and have been used by Ukraine to strike military infrastructure in Russian territory.
Events from the year 2023 in Moldova.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moldova accepted Ukrainian refugees, opened a bank account for donations, and unofficially imposed sanctions on Russia.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group is an alliance of 57 countries and the European Union supporting the defence of Ukraine by sending military equipment in response to the 2022 Russian invasion. The group coordinates the ongoing donation of military aid at monthly meetings. A first meeting took place between 41 countries on 26 April 2022, and the coalition comprised 54 countries at the time of the 14 February 2023 meeting. As of November 2023 reports of meetings usually state "more than 50" or "about 50" members.
Events in the year 2024 in Poland.
Events in the year 2024 in Ukraine.