Romania shot down a drone that entered its airspace over the Black Sea on Sunday, the third such interception in as many days, as the NATO member accused Russia of repeatedly violating its sovereignty amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.The Romanian Defense Ministry said an F-16 fighter jet destroyed the drone about 12 kilometers northeast of the coastal town of Sulina after it entered the country’s airspace. According to Reuters, the drone was brought down safely in territorial waters.Romanian President Nicosor Dan condemned the repeated incursions, calling them “unacceptable and intolerable”.“It is unacceptable and intolerable for the Russian Federation to continue to violate Romania’s airspace, which is NATO airspace and EU airspace at the same time,” Dan said in a post on X.
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“Actions like this are unacceptable and we, along with our allies, take them extremely seriously,” he said.
Third drone shot down in three days
Romania had not previously destroyed any drones entering its airspace since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. That changed on Friday, when a Romanian pilot successfully shot down a drone in a deserted area.Sunday’s interception was the third drone downed in three consecutive days.President Dan said the investigation confirmed that the drone destroyed on Friday was a Martyr-type unmanned aerial vehicle, a model widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine.The investigation into the drones shot down on Saturday and Sunday is still ongoing.The Romanian Defense Ministry said Russian drones had entered the country’s airspace without permission 33 times since the war began.
Romania summoned the Russian ambassador
Following the latest intrusion, Romania’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in protest over repeated violations of the country’s airspace, according to Reuters.Prime Minister Elie Bologen also described the violations as “unacceptable”.Defense Minister Radu Miruta said Romania would continue to defend its sovereignty.“Romania will continue to firmly defend its sovereignty and airspace but these provocations must stop,” he wrote on Facebook, according to Reuters.Prosecutors have recovered the debris of the downed drone on Friday and are continuing to search for pieces of the other two drones.
nato surveillance status
NATO said details of Sunday’s incident were still being investigated.“The firing comes as NATO, Romania and other countries actively acquire ground-based interceptors to enhance allied and national air defense capabilities,” U.S. Army Colonel Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for NATO’s military headquarters, said, according to Reuters.Romania shares a 650-kilometre (400-mile) border with Ukraine, and Russian drone incursions have continued to escalate as Moscow steps up attacks on Ukrainian ports along the Danube River.
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Tension on the border has deepened
Romania has seen several security incidents related to the war in neighboring Ukraine in the past year.Romania adopted a law in 2025 allowing its military to shoot down drones that violate its airspace.Earlier this year, a Russian drone involved in attacks on Ukraine struck an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people, while in June, a Ukrainian maritime drone exploded near the Black Sea port of Constanta, causing no casualties.Separately, Romania’s army chief said Friday that Russian attacks around Ukraine’s Odessa region have intensified ahead of the harvest season, increasing pressure on key energy and trade routes across the Black Sea.