Romania has begun intercepting and shooting down stray drones entering its airspace, marking a new posture after years of incursions linked to the war in Ukraine. Romanian F-16 fighter jets downed three such drones in as many days starting Friday, following intensified Russian attacks near Ukraine's border.
This action represents a shift from Romania's previous response, which primarily involved scrambling jets, collecting debris, and erecting fallout shelters near the border. The country had previously acquired the MEROPS system, designed to counter drones, after a spate of incursions along NATO's eastern flank late last year. Despite passing legislation to shoot down drones in its airspace last year, Romania had refrained from doing so until now.
Romanian authorities summoned Moscow's ambassador on Monday and expelled a Russian diplomat, presenting him with drone fragments and asserting that Russia bears "exclusive responsibility for all these grave incidents." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that recovered drone fragments confirm their Russian origin "beyond any doubt."
The Russian embassy in Romania denied the allegations, stating that Russia "has never directed and does not direct combat drones" to Romanian territory and called the expulsion of a diplomat "unprovoked."
Drones have crossed into Romanian territory multiple times since Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In May, a drone injured a mother and child after crashing into an apartment building in the eastern town of Galati along the Danube River. This year alone, at least 19 drones have entered Romania’s airspace, with 50 cases of drones or fragments identified on its territory since the war began.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan congratulated the pilots and condemned the incursions as "unacceptable and intolerable." Military analyst Radu Tudor suggested the May incident in Galati may have served as a "psychological trigger" for authorities, indicating a potential shift in NATO's attitude towards responding to provocations. Tudor noted that Romania has now shot down four drones near the eastern flank, including one over Estonian airspace in May while Romanian pilots were deployed there.
Cristian Popovici, head of public relations at Romania's defense ministry, stated that new tactics and procedures have been developed to counter the drone threat. He emphasized that Romania does not intend to become entangled in the war and is not involved in the conflict, but is prepared to address incursions into its sovereign airspace.