The RAF on a NATO patrol has for the first time shot down Russian drones over Ukrainian territory.
Two Royal Air Force Eurofighters were scrambled from Romania as Vladimir Putin’s forces attacked ports on the River Danube in Ukraine.
The crew engaged and downed the Russian drones in Ukrainian airspace, said the Romanian Ministry of National Defence.
The strike over Ukraine aimed at protecting NATO state Romania represents a new development in the four-year war.
It came as Russia’s brutal overnight attacks on Ukraine forced NATO to scramble warplanes from both Romania and Poland.
‘On the morning of Saturday, April 25, Russian forces resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania, in Tulcea County,’ said the Bucharest statement.
‘MApN radars detected drones flying near Romanian airspace.
‘Two Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft of the British Air Force from the Reinforced Air Police combat service took off at 02:00 from the 86th Air Base in Fetești.
‘The National Military Command Centre notified IGSU [General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations] regarding the establishment of measures to alert the population in the localities of Grindu and Isaccea, in Tulcea County, and at 02:14, a RO-ALERT message was transmitted.
‘The Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft had radar contact with a target located 1.5 km [1 mile] from Reni, above Ukrainian territory.
‘The pilots had authorisation to engage the drones.’
At least 18 injured after all-night Russian drone assault on Dnipro destroyed part of an apartment block and sparked a fuel station fire
The statement said multiple explosions were reported in Reni, Ukraine. It did not explicitly say how many drones were downed by the RAF.
There were reports of falling debris from drones over Romanian territory.
‘No casualties were reported.’
Romania slammed the Putin regime over its attacks on the Odesa region – with targets half a mile from NATO territory across the Danube.
‘The Ministry of National Defence firmly condemns the irresponsible actions of the Russian Federation and emphasises that they represent a new challenge to regional security and stability in the Black Sea area,’ said the report.
Such incidents demonstrate the Russian Federation’s lack of respect for the norms of international law and endanger not only the safety of Romanian citizens, but also the collective security of NATO.
‘Romania remains firmly committed to fulfilling its obligations as a member state of the Alliance and will continue to work closely with partners and allies to monitor and defend national airspace.’
In Poland, French fighters with support from the Dutch armed forces operating as part of the NATO alliance were scrambled as Russia rained down missiles and drones on Ukraine.
‘Poland raised military aircraft due to the activity of long-range Russian aviation, which carried out missile strikes on Ukraine,’ said a statement from air force operational command.
Savage Russian strikes flattened a four-floor apartment building in Dnipro, killing at least two and injuring more than 20.
A Ukrainian drone hit Russia’s fourth-largest city Yekaterinburg, more than 1,100 miles from the front line
Five more people may be trapped under the rubble. The city was under siege for more than ten hours.
Strikes also hit the Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Cherkasy regions.
In Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region, there was a major fire and heavy smoke with residents advised to close windows.
In one of the heaviest overnight assaults of the war, Russia launched missile and drone strikes at Ukraine overnight.
This included 47 missiles of which 30 were downed.
A total of 580 out of 619 drones were shot down or suppressed.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones flew mammoth distances of more than 1,100 miles to attack major Russian cities in the Ural Mountains for the first time.
The Kremlin was stung by hits in its hinterland on Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk with long-range unmanned planes on the key hubs.
The Liutyi drones hit an elite high-rise tower in Yekaterinburg, likely after it was targeted by air defences.
Windows on the upper floors were broken, and smoke was visible.
More than 50 people were evacuated from the multi-story building, with multiple apartments damaged.
At least six were injured.
Reports say the Ukrainian long-range drones targeted the Chelyabinsk Higher Military Aviation School of Navigation in Chelyabinsk.
There were also unconfirmed reports of explosions near the key military supplier Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant.
