A Romanian F-16 shot down a drone in Romanian airspace over the Black Sea (Photo: Bogdan Pantilimon / Ministerul Apararii Nationale, Romania)
The most recent incident occurred today, July 26. According to Romanian President Nicușor Dan, an F-16 fighter jet of the Romanian Air Force intercepted a drone at approximately 10:13 a.m. over Romanian territorial waters in the Sulina–Kiliya area.
“I would like to congratulate the Romanian pilots and ground crew, who carry out their duties professionally, courageously, and effectively,” Dan wrote on social media platform X.
The day before, the Romanian military reported that a drone had been shot down off the country’s eastern coast. According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled after an aerial target was detected. The drone was destroyed in an uninhabited area approximately 10 kilometers west of the town of Sfântu Gheorghe.
The first drone was shot down by a Romanian F-16 fighter jet on Friday. The Romanian General Prosecutor’s Office later determined that the drone was a Shahed model, which Russia uses to carry out attacks on Ukraine.
Romanian authorities have not yet released the results of their investigation into the other two drones. The country’s president stated that violations of Romania’s airspace are unacceptable.
“It is unacceptable for the Russian Federation to continue violating Romania’s airspace,” Dan said, adding that Bucharest is assessing the situation together with its allies.
Romania, a NATO member that shares a border with Ukraine along the Danube, has recorded multiple drone incidents in recent months. Authorities link these incidents to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Earlier in May, a Russian drone carrying explosives crashed into a residential building in the city of Galați, causing a fire and injuring two people. In June, a Ukrainian naval drone exploded in the port of Constanța. The Ukrainian military stated that the drone lost control due to interference from Russian electronic warfare systems.
