NATO Shoots Down Another Suspected Russian Drone in Romania, Fourth Incident This Year

Another serious incident occurred in Romania after a Spanish F-18 fighter jet participating in a NATO air policing mission shot down a drone that violated Romanian national airspace.

This is the fourth drone to be shot down in Romania since the beginning of the year, according to the country’s Ministry of Defense.

The incident occurred at dawn, when Romanian radar systems detected the drone entering the country’s airspace from neighboring Moldova, about 24 kilometers north of Galați in southeastern Romania.

A spokesperson for NATO’s military headquarters, U.S. Army Colonel Martin O’Donnell, said the alliance remains constantly vigilant and prepared to defend against any threat.

“Additional details regarding Sunday’s incident remain under investigation, but the drone appears to be Russian,” he said.

Romania, a NATO member, shares a 381-mile land border with Ukraine and has reported repeated violations of its airspace by Russian drones over the past four years, as well as mines drifting in the Black Sea along major trade and energy routes.

Romania’s Ministry of Defense did not specify the drone’s origin, saying it was detected by radar as it entered the country from neighboring Moldova, north of the southeastern Romanian city of Galați.