This is also the second drone downing incident since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
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The NATO member bordering Ukraine has frequently experienced drone incursions since 2022, including cases of drones crashing on its territory.
For the first time, the country’s forces shot down a drone on Friday, approximately 114 kilometers from Bucharest.
On Saturday at 8:34 AM local (and Lithuanian) time, the army shot down another drone that “illegally entered Romanian airspace,” announced Defense Minister Radu Miruta (Radu Mirucė).
The drone was shot down 9.6 kilometers west of Sfintu Georgės in the Danube Delta near the border with Ukraine, R. Miruta said.
“The radars of the Ministry of National Defense detected that the drone entered our airspace at 8:22 AM, and a few minutes later it was shot down by a Romanian F-16 fighter jet,” the minister announced on Facebook.
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Since the start of the war in Ukraine, drone incursions have been recorded dozens of times in Romania.
In May, a drone crashed into an apartment building in Romania, injuring two people. NATO and the European Union (EU) condemned the incident, blamed Russia, and warned of further incursions.
In 2025, the Romanian parliament adopted a law allowing the country to shoot down drones violating its airspace.
European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen (Urzula fon der Lajen) stated on Friday on social network “X” that “strengthening defense and deterrence along our eastern border remains one of the most important priorities,” and praised the Romanian army.
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