Romanian drone shootdown marks first interception since Ukraine invasion
Romania said an F-16 downed a suspected Russian drone over unpopulated ground after it entered national airspace.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
A Romanian drone shootdown on Friday marked the country’s first interception of an intruding aircraft since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to President Nicusor Dan. Romania said one of its F-16s fired an air-to-air missile at a drone suspected of coming from Russia after it crossed into national airspace.
Dan said the aircraft was brought down over an uninhabited area. Romanian officials reported no deaths or injuries.
The incident adds to concerns that the war in Ukraine is spilling into neighboring NATO territory. Romania, a member of both NATO and the European Union, borders Ukraine and has reported dozens of drone incursions since the war began.
Why did Romania shoot down a drone?
Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said radar detected the drone roughly 20km, or 12 miles, east of the Black Sea port of Sulina before it entered Romanian airspace. The ministry said the drone then moved along a route through Braila, Fetesti and Buzau county.
Two Italian Eurofighter Typhoon jets assigned to NATO’s air policing mission in Romania joined two Romanian F-16s in the response, according to the ministry. One Romanian F-16 engaged the drone and shot it down near the village of Padina, over ground described by officials as unpopulated.
A Romanian military source told Reuters that Russia was suspected as the point of origin because of the pattern of earlier incursions in the region. Romanian officials did not announce a confirmed origin for the drone.
Previous drone incidents in Romania
Romania has faced repeated drone-related incidents during the war. In late May, a drone hit an apartment building in Galati, injuring two people, in what was described as the first such strike on a populated area in a NATO country.
NATO and European Union officials condemned that episode. The European Commission said Russia’s war had “crossed yet another line.”
In June, a Ukrainian sea drone exploded at the Black Sea port of Constanta near an oil terminal. Ukrainian authorities said they had launched the vessel and that Russian jamming had pushed it off course.
Other NATO members in Eastern Europe have also reported airspace violations. The Baltic states have recorded repeated incursions in recent months, and those incidents contributed to the collapse of Latvia’s government in May.
What NATO officials have said
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has described Moscow’s conduct as reckless and dangerous. Matthew Whitaker, the United States ambassador to NATO, has said the alliance will defend all of its territory.
The Romanian interception came as Russia and Ukraine continue to use large numbers of drones in the war. For NATO members on Ukraine’s borders, each airspace breach raises the risk that a weapon aimed at the battlefield could draw an alliance country into a direct military response.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.