Romania Shoots Down Third Russian Drone and Summons Moscow’s Ambassador
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BUCHAREST, July 26, Saudi Arabia Breaking News — Romania shot down a third Russian drone in three days over the Black Sea on Sunday and summoned Moscow’s ambassador following a new breach of its national airspace.
A Romanian F-16 pilot destroyed the drone 12 kilometres northeast of the coastal town of Sulina, above Romanian territorial waters. The defence ministry said the interception was carried out safely.
“It is inadmissible and intolerable for the Russian Federation to continue violating Romania’s airspace, which is, at the same time, NATO airspace and European Union airspace,” President Nicusor Dan wrote on X.
“Such actions are unacceptable, and we treat them with the utmost seriousness, alongside our allies,” he said.
Romania’s foreign ministry said the Russian ambassador had been summoned “following these repeated violations,” while Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan described the incursions as “unacceptable.”
“Romania will continue to firmly defend its sovereignty and airspace but these provocations must stop,” Romanian Defence Minister Radu Miruta wrote on Facebook.
NATO said the circumstances surrounding Sunday’s interception remained under investigation.
“The shootdowns come as NATO, Romania, and other nations actively acquire ground-based interceptors to enhance allied and national air defence capabilities,” said U.S. Army Colonel Martin O’Donnell, spokesperson for NATO’s military headquarters.
Romania had not previously destroyed any of the drones that entered its airspace during the war. The first interception took place on Friday, when a Romanian pilot safely brought down a drone over an uninhabited area. Three drones have now been destroyed on consecutive days.
Dan said the aircraft intercepted on Friday was identified as a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle commonly used by Russian forces. Investigations were continuing into the drones shot down on Saturday and Sunday.
Prosecutors recovered fragments from Friday’s drone but were still searching for debris from the other two aircraft.
The defence ministry said Russian drones had entered Romanian airspace without authorization 33 times since the war began, including Sunday’s incident.
Romania shares a 650-kilometre (400-mile) land border with Ukraine and has faced repeated incursions as Moscow intensifies attacks against Ukrainian ports across the Danube River.
Romania’s army chief of staff said on Friday that Russian strikes around the Ukrainian port of Odesa had increased ahead of the harvest season, placing further pressure on crucial Black Sea energy and trade routes.
Moscow made no immediate public comment on the incidents.
