A Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone that had entered its airspace on Friday, President Nicusor Dan announced, marking the first time the NATO member state has taken such action following a series of incursions. The origin of the drone remains under investigation.
An army source indicated that while the drone's origin is being determined, Russia is considered the likely perpetrator in the region. Poland and the Baltic states have also reported similar airspace breaches, raising concerns about the security of NATO's borders.
President Dan stated on social media that a Romanian pilot downed the drone around 11 a.m. local time after it entered the country's airspace over an uninhabited area, allowing the pilot to engage without risk. Teams are currently examining the site for details.
Incident Details
The Romanian Ministry of Defense reported that the drone was intercepted near the town of Padina in Buzau County, located in the eastern part of the country. The ministry added that two Romanian F-16 jets and two Italian Eurofighter Typhoons stationed in Romania were scrambled in response. The drone was first detected by radar approximately 20 kilometers east of Sulina on the Black Sea coast at 9:30 a.m. local time. Fragments of the drone landed in a wheat field but caused no damage or injuries, according to the prefect of Buzau County.
Romania, which shares a substantial border with Ukraine, has experienced multiple instances of Russian drone incursions into its airspace since Russia began attacking Ukrainian ports on the Danube River following its full-scale invasion in 2022. In late May, a drone crashed into an apartment building in the town of Galati, near the Ukrainian border, resulting in injuries to two people. This incident marked the first time a strike had hit a densely populated area within a NATO country and caused casualties during the ongoing conflict.