BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s military shot down a suspected Russian drone on Sunday after it crossed into the country’s airspace, the nation’s president confirmed. It was the third such incident in just three days for the Eastern European country, which holds membership in both the European Union and NATO.
Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from the Fetești airbase, operating under NATO’s command, and brought down the drone over the Black Sea, according to the military alliance.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan announced the interception, stating: “A new drone was shot down this morning, at 10:13, by an F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, over the territorial waters of Romania, in the Sulina–Chilia area.”
President Dan also noted that investigators determined one of the previously intercepted drones appeared to be “a Shahed type, used by the Russian Federation in the war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe — known as SHAPE — said Sunday’s downing was actually the fourth time Romania has shot down a drone violating NATO airspace in recent weeks. Prior to the latest three interceptions, Romanian jets had taken down a drone over Estonia back in May. Romanian pilots and aircraft are also stationed in Lithuania, giving them wide-ranging strike capabilities as part of NATO’s defensive posture.
“As we continue to prove, NATO is constantly on the watch and prepared to defend itself from any threat,” O’Donnell said.
Romania has also obtained the MEROPS counter-drone system, which uses relatively inexpensive, three-foot-long drones to neutralize incoming Shahed-type threats. The system is part of a larger NATO effort to strengthen defenses along the alliance’s eastern border against drone attacks.
The situation took a dangerous turn back in May, when a Russian drone involved in an attack on Ukraine went off course and struck an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people and stoking fears that the conflict could bleed into NATO territory.
President Dan issued a sharp rebuke of Russia’s actions: “It is inadmissible and intolerable that the Russian Federation continues to violate Romanian airspace, which is also NATO and European Union airspace. Such actions are unacceptable and we treat them with all seriousness, together with our allies.”
NATO and EU member Belgium also weighed in, calling Sunday’s incursion a “stark reminder of the ongoing threat Russia’s war poses to European security.” Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot expressed solidarity with Romania, saying: “Belgium stands firmly with Romania after several drones were shot down over its territory in the past days. Romania’s investigation has already confirmed that one of them was a Russian Shahed drone.” He added that 300 Belgian troops are currently stationed in Romania as part of NATO’s eastern flank force.
Drone incursions from both Russia and Ukraine have affected Romania and other NATO member countries on multiple occasions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
