Romania’s president on Sunday accused Russia after the NATO member’s military shot down the third drone in three days in the country bordering Ukraine.
Romania has seen frequent drone incursions since Russia launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but had not shot down any until Friday.
On Sunday, a Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone over the Black Sea, five minutes after it entered the country’s airspace, Defense Minister Radu Miruta said on Facebook.
President Nicusor Dan quoted an investigation as saying a drone shot down on Friday was a “Shahed model, used by the Russian Federation in its war of aggression against Ukraine”. Investigations into drones shot down on Saturday and Sunday were ongoing, he added.
“It is unacceptable and intolerable for the Russian Federation to continue violating Romania’s airspace, which is also the airspace of NATO and the European Union,” he said on X.
Drone incursions in Romania have been detected dozens of times since the start of the Ukraine war.
A drone smashed into an apartment building in May, wounding two people and drawing condemnation from NATO and the European Union, which blamed Russia and warned against further incursions.
In 2025, the Romanian parliament adopted a law allowing for the shooting down of drones that breach its airspace. (AFP)
