Romania shoots down unidentified drone breaching its airspace
The first confirmed Romanian shootdown of an intruding drone came after allied jets scrambled under NATO air policing, officials said.
- On Saturday, a Romanian Air Force F-16 shot down a second drone breaching national airspace in two days, intercepting it roughly 10 km west of Sfântu Gheorghe in the Danube Delta with no reported injuries.
- The military's authority to engage drones stems from legislation Romanian lawmakers approved in February 2025, following around 30 previous airspace breaches since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including a May 29, 2026 incident that injured two people in Galați.
- Under NATO command and control, two Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons from Mihail Koglniceanu Air Base and two Romanian F-16s from the 86th Air Base at Feteti coordinated operations, destroying Friday's target at 11:02 a.m. near Padina in Buzău County.
- President Nicușor Dan confirmed the operations, stating 'the area was uninhabited, so the pilot was able to fire without any risk,' while specialist teams are surveying crash sites to establish all circumstances of the incidents.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Romania's 'swift and effective response,' while NATO and EU officials characterized the incidents as 'a direct consequence of Russia's war against Ukraine,' underscoring persistent regional security challenges.
120 Articles
120 Articles
Two Russian drones were shot down in Romania within 24 hours. The first was destroyed on Friday near the city of Buzău, the second on Saturday morning, Romanian President Nicușor Dan reported. It was shot down ten kilometers from the city of Sfântu Gheorghe.
The first drone, which according to the authorities in charge of the investigations has fragments of Russian origin, was shot down the day before on the airspace of the country, which is part of NATO
LancasterOnline
Independent EspañolKIEV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian drone attack claimed the lives of three people in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine, local authorities said on Saturday, while Romania shot down, for the second time in two days,...
This is the second time in just two days that this has happened.
Romania announced that it had shot down, for the second time in two days, a drone entering its air space. The aircraft was destroyed by a F-16 fighter aircraft over an uninhabited area near the border with Ukraine, according to the Romanian Ministry of Defence.
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