A German Typhoon formation was alerted and responded to the incursion that didn't violate German airspace, but the attack was within one mile of NATO territory / Envato Elemtns

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – Two German fighter jets were scrambled overnight from Romania as Russia unleashed one of its largest missile and drone attacks in weeks on Ukraine, with strikes landing less than a mile from NATO territory.

Romania’s Ministry of Defense confirmed on Wednesday that two German Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, stationed at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base under NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing mission, were launched “to monitor the air situation.” The ministry stressed that no Russian aircraft or projectiles crossed into Romanian airspace, and the jets returned safely to base around 1:10 a.m. local time.

The escalation comes despite ongoing peace efforts. Just days earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin held direct talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska, followed by a White House meeting between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and NATO leaders. Yet Moscow’s latest bombardment suggests little appetite for compromise.

Strikes Near NATO Soil

The overnight assault targeted petroleum and port facilities in the Odesa region, including Izmail on the Danube River—a vital export hub visible from across the water in Tulcea, Romania. According to Ukrainian officials, Izmail suffered infrastructure damage and fires, while strikes elsewhere hit residential areas and energy facilities.

“Two Typhoon aircraft belonging to the German Air Force … were scrambled to monitor the air situation in the border area with Ukraine, in the north of Tulcea County,” the Romanian military said. “No airborne vehicles were recorded entering national airspace.”

It marked the second time in three days that NATO warplanes were deployed amid Russia’s stepped-up bombardments.

Ukraine Reports Heavy Damage and Civilian Casualties

Ukrainian authorities said Russia fired more than 60 missiles and drones. However, the Air Force later raised the tally to 93 Iranian-designed Shahed drones and two ballistic missiles, of which 62 drones and one missile were intercepted.

In the northeastern city of Okhtyrka, Sumy region, a drone strike injured 14 people, including children as young as five months. “A family with wounded children—five months, four years, and six years old—sought help after the shelling,” President Zelenskyy said in a morning briefing.

In Donetsk, a glide bomb damaged five apartment buildings, trapping at least three people under the rubble, while other strikes targeted gas facilities in the Odesa region.

“These are demonstrative strikes that only confirm the need to put pressure on Moscow—the need to impose new sanctions and tariffs until diplomacy is fully effective,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “We need strong security guarantees to ensure a truly reliable and lasting peace.”

Why It Matters

The attack underscores the volatility along NATO’s eastern flank. Though Russian ordnance did not cross into Alliance airspace this time, past incidents in Poland, Lithuania, and Romania involving debris have heightened fears of escalation.

Romania’s defense ministry emphasized that “close cooperation with allies in enhanced air policing missions strengthens Romania’s defense capability and contributes to NATO’s deterrence and defense posture on the eastern flank.”

What’s Next

NATO nations are set to meet virtually on Wednesday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. The attacks—among the most intense this month—are likely to renew calls for enhanced NATO surveillance and missile defense measures along its borders.

For now, German, British, and Italian forces continue rotating air policing duties from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, with no official change in NATO’s operational posture. But with Russian strikes repeatedly brushing against NATO territory, pressure is mounting for stronger deterrence.

Reporting contributed by Worthy News staff and wire services.

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