Romania Russian drone downing adds to NATO airspace concerns
Romania said an F-16 downed a suspected Russian drone over the Black Sea, the third incursion in three days and another NATO airspace breach.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Romania shot down a suspected Russian drone on Sunday after it entered Romanian airspace, President Nicusor Dan said, adding to a series of incidents along NATO’s eastern edge. The Romania Russian drone incident matters because Romania is both a NATO and European Union member, making any airspace breach a concern for the alliance.
NATO said two Romanian F-16 fighter jets took off from the Fetești airbase under alliance operational command. The alliance said the drone was brought down over the Black Sea.
Dan said the shootdown happened at 10:13 a.m. over Romania’s territorial waters in the Sulina-Chilia area. He also said authorities had determined that one of the drones intercepted earlier appeared to be a Shahed-type drone used by Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Why did Romania shoot down a drone?
Romania shot down the drone because, according to Romanian and NATO officials, it crossed into the country’s airspace. For NATO, an unauthorized drone flight over a member state’s territory or waters is treated as a security threat, especially near the war in Ukraine.
Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, said the latest incident was the fourth recent Romanian downing of a drone that violated NATO airspace in coordination with the alliance. Before the three latest interceptions, O’Donnell said Romanian jets shot down a drone over Estonia in May.
O’Donnell said Romanian pilots and aircraft are based in Lithuania as part of NATO’s force posture and have broad strike capabilities from there. He said NATO remains on watch and ready to defend itself from threats.
Romania has also acquired the MEROPS counter-drone system, according to the report. The system uses relatively low-cost drones about three feet long to intercept incoming Shahed drones and similar variants, and it is part of wider efforts to reinforce NATO’s eastern border against drone threats.
What has Romania said about Russian drone incursions?
Dan condemned the repeated airspace violations, saying it was “inadmissible and intolerable” for Russia to keep violating Romanian airspace, which he noted is also NATO and EU airspace. He said Romania was treating the incidents seriously with its allies.
The concern is not limited to Sunday’s interception. In May, a Russian drone involved in an attack on Ukraine went off course and hit an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people, according to the Associated Press.
Belgium also backed Romania after the latest incident. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said the incursion was a reminder of the threat Russia’s war poses to European security and said Belgium has 300 troops stationed in Romania as part of NATO’s eastern flank force.
Drone incursions linked to both Russia and Ukraine have affected Romania and other NATO members since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to the Associated Press.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.