Romania shifts from passive to active defense against Russian hybrid attacks involving drones, cyberattacks, and disinformation, with NATO support amidst escalating tensions near its borders, especially at the Danube Delta and Black Sea region.

Romania is shifting its strategy towards Russia from passive defense to active defense in response to increasing hybrid warfare threats including drone attacks, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns attributed to Russian actors. Recently, Romania experienced several drone incursions, including explosive drones in urban areas and multiple Shahed drone raids near the Danube Delta and Romanian airspace. Cyberattacks targeting state institutions such as the cadastral agency and tax payment portals have been linked to Russian intelligence (FSB). The escalation coincides with Russia's wider campaign to disrupt NATO and the European Union, exemplified by a coordinated attack against nine EU states in July 2026. At the same time, Russia trials the effectiveness and limits of NATO's and Romania's responses, probing American troop presence and drone defense capabilities. Romania's altered posture has been urged by NATO commitments to deploy anti-drone systems and increase military integration. The operational environment near Romania's border with Ukraine and Moldova, as well as in the Black Sea and the Danube Delta, has become a focal zone of hybrid conflict. The strategy aims to deter further Russian provocations while managing risks to civilian populations and internal political cohesion, under scrutiny from political factions skeptical of confrontation.