NATO Jet Shoots Down Suspected Russian Drone Over Romania
A NATO F-18 fighter shot down a drone that breached Romanian airspace on Sunday, the fourth such incident this year. Officials say the drone appears to be Russian, though the investigation continues.
Romania's Defense Ministry reported that an F-18 fighter jet on a NATO air policing mission shot down a drone that had illegally entered the country's airspace on Sunday, marking the fourth such incident over Romanian territory this year.
A spokesperson for NATO's military headquarters, U.S. Army Colonel Martin O'Donnell, said the alliance remains constantly vigilant and ready to respond to any threat. He noted that while the full details of Sunday's incident are still being investigated, the drone appears to have originated from Russia.
Border With Ukraine
Romania, a NATO member, shares a 614-kilometer land border with Ukraine and has recorded repeated airspace violations by Russian drones over the past four years, along with mines drifting in the Black Sea near key shipping and energy routes.
The ministry did not identify the drone's exact origin but said radar detected it entering Romania from neighboring Moldova, about 24 kilometers north of the southeastern city of Galati. The F-18, operated by a Spanish NATO contingent stationed in Romania, made radar contact with the target and was authorized to engage, downing the drone safely at 5:01 a.m. Fragments from the destroyed aircraft are believed to have landed in an unpopulated area between two villages.
In July, Romanian F-16 pilots shot down three Russian drones that had breached national airspace, the first such interception after dozens of earlier incursions since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. In May, a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Galati during an overnight strike targeting neighboring Ukraine, injuring two people.
