Spillover From War in Ukraine

Written by Ash Breedlove | September 10, 2023

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Last November, when a missile landed just inside the Polish border with Ukraine, the war threatened to spill over into NATO territory. The missile that killed two Polish farmers was later determined to have originated from the Ukrainian air defense system, however, the situation erred dangerously to Poland calling for Article 5.

On September 6, NATO member Romania reported that parts of a Russian drone fell within its territory. While Romanian officials said a drone crash was not a serious threat, President Klaus Iohannis said if drone parts were found it would be a “serious violation of Romania’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Romania has begun to implement text alerts for future incidents and protective spaces in the event of serious conflict spillover. While this incident is not seen as an attack, several neighboring countries have reported Russian weapons flying in their airspace.