Romania shot down a suspected Russian drone after it crossed into its airspace on Sunday, marking the third such incursion in three days. Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets scrambled from the Fetesti airbase under NATO operational command and shot down the drone over the Black Sea. The drone was shot down at 10:13 UTC by an F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force over the territorial waters of Romania in the Sulina-Chilia area, according to Romanian President Nicusor Dan. One of the earlier intercepted drones was identified as a Shahed type used by the Russian Federation in the war against Ukraine. This is the fourth recent drone downing by Romania violating NATO airspace, coordinated with NATO, as stated by Col. Martin O'Donnell, a NATO spokesperson. Romanian jets also shot down a drone over Estonia in May, flown from Lithuania. Romania has acquired the MEROPS counter-drone system to detect and take down incoming Shahed and other drone variants. In May, a Russian drone attack on Ukraine misfired into eastern Romania, injuring two people. NATO and EU condemned the drone incursions and Russian airspace violations, with President Dan calling these acts unacceptable and intolerable. Belgium confirmed one downed drone was a Russian Shahed drone and supports Romania firmly, with 300 Belgian troops based in Romania as part of NATO’s eastern tank force. A series of drone incursions by Russia and Ukraine has hit Romania and other NATO members since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Romania shot down a suspected Russian drone after it crossed into its airspace on Sunday, marking the third such incursion in three days. Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets scrambled from the Fetesti airbase under NATO operational command and shot down the drone over the Black Sea. The drone was shot down at 10:13 UTC by an F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force over the territorial waters of Romania in the Sulina-Chilia area, according to Romanian President Nicusor Dan. One of the earlier intercepted drones was identified as a Shahed type used by the Russian Federation in the war against Ukraine. This is the fourth recent drone downing by Romania violating NATO airspace, coordinated with NATO, as stated by Col. Martin O'Donnell, a NATO spokesperson. Romanian jets also shot down a drone over Estonia in May, flown from Lithuania. Romania has acquired the MEROPS counter-drone system to detect and take down incoming Shahed and other drone variants. In May, a Russian drone attack on Ukraine misfired into eastern Romania, injuring two people. NATO and EU condemned the drone incursions and Russian airspace violations, with President Dan calling these acts unacceptable and intolerable. Belgium confirmed one downed drone was a Russian Shahed drone and supports Romania firmly, with 300 Belgian troops based in Romania as part of NATO’s eastern tank force. A series of drone incursions by Russia and Ukraine has hit Romania and other NATO members since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.