Flight · Romania
Drone of unknown origin flies along Chilia branch in Romania
· Chilia branch
Reported cross-border incursion
On the night of 12–13 August 2026 a drone (UAV) entered Romanian airspace and flew for about 10 minutes along the Chilia branch, then left towards Ukraine, exiting around 13 km southwest of Chilia Veche. The Romanian military monitored the flight. Explosions were reported after the drone left, but no impact in Romania has been established.
The drone's nationality and operator have not been established, and its identity remains unresolved.
Romanian F-16s also responded to a later target nearby. The overnight track was reported alongside the discovery of drone fragments at Costinești beach the same day, but the two have not been linked, and the drone's relationship to later recoveries is unresolved.
Attribution and uncertainty
- Origin / operator / attribution
- Nationality/operator not established in collected account
- Investigation / uncertainty
- Individual identity and relationship to later recoveries unresolved.
Sources · 1
Full record
Explosions were reported after departure; no Romanian impact is established.
Map positions are approximate anchors for the named place, not verified incident coordinates.
- Reported date
- 2026-08-13
- Date basis
- Night of 12–13 August; EEST
- Location / jurisdiction
- Chilia branch; exit around 13 km southwest of Chilia Veche; EU airspace
- Event categories
- Entry; tracking; exit; nearby explosions
- What was reported
- Overnight drone track reported separately from Costinești coastal discovery.
- Aircraft / vessel / quantity
- 1 UAV
- Origin / operator / attribution
- Nationality/operator not established in collected account
- Damage / casualties / disruption
- Explosions reported after departure; no Romanian impact established
- Response / outcome
- Romanian military monitoring; F-16s also responded to a later nearby target.
- Investigation / uncertainty
- Individual identity and relationship to later recoveries unresolved.
- Route / entry mechanism
- About 10 minutes along Chilia branch; departed toward Ukraine
- Explosive payload
- Not reported
- Counting / links
- Not automatically linked to Costinești wreckage E061 or counted again for later near-border scramble.
- Research provenance
- Added during export source checks; absent from the visible chronological report
Record E060. Record fields keep the register’s original wording.