The National Defence Ministry (MApN) on Wednesday evening provided clarifications following the RO-ALERT message sent to the residents in the northeast of Tulcea County in the context of the war in Ukraine.
According to MApN, on Wednesday, around 20:45, the Romanian Army's radar surveillance system indicated an air target in the vicinity of the border between Romania and Ukraine, in the Chilia Arm area, near the town of Chilia Veche, Tulcea County.
According to the procedures, the structures of the Air Police Combat Service under national command were activated and the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations was notified to establish measures to alert the population of Tulcea County.
To monitor the situation, two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force took off from the 86th Borcea Air Base.
''The radars constantly followed the course of the target, which went towards Tulcea municipality, the radar signal with this target being lost around 21:00hrs, 12 km northeast of the mentioned locality," MApN showed.
According to the quoted source, at around 21:20, radar surveillance systems again showed an airborne altitude signal in an area 2 km northwest of Razim Lake.
''The target, most likely different from the first one, evolved on a route towards Mihai Viteazu, Constanta County, and then towards Jurilovca, Tulcea County, where it disappeared from the radar, 9 km north-west of this town, around 21:40," says the Defence Ministry.
The combat aircraft had no visual contact with the air targets at any point on the evolution paths indicated by the radar surveillance system, MApN said.
The cessation of the air alert was transmitted starting at 22:16, and the F-16 aircraft returned to the deployment base.
''From the data available at this time, it has not been indicated the likelihood of the existence of an impact zone on the national territory. The relevant structures of the National Defence Ministry will analyse the available data and information in order to establish the circumstances of this event," the source mentions.
Also, starting Thursday morning, searches will be carried out in the two areas where radar signals were lost.
MApN informed the allied structures about the situation in real time and is in permanent contact with them.