A Ukrainian citizen illegally crossed the border with Romania in a light aircraft and was detained in Suceava County after a call to the 112 emergency service, according to the Romanian Border Police. The official statement was published on the website of the Sighetu Marmației Territorial Inspectorate of the Border Police.
According to the Romanian side, the incident occurred on March 8 at around 10:30 a.m. near the village of Frătăuții Vechi in Suceava County. After receiving the signal, police and border guards arrived at the scene and identified the man by his Ukrainian biometric passport. Romanian authorities also found the aircraft in the garden behind one of the houses in the village.
According to the Border Police report, the man requested temporary protection in Romania due to the war in Ukraine. At the same time, Ukrainian border authorities were notified of the incident through the Porubne contact point.
Criminal proceedings have been opened against the Ukrainian citizen under two articles: for illegally crossing the state border and for operating an aircraft without the necessary certification documents.
According to the UNHCR and the Romanian government, there were 201,860 refugees from Ukraine in the country at the end of December 2025.
