Romania downed another Russian drone over the Black Sea amid the war in Ukraine. According to a Defense Ministry statement on Sunday, a Romanian F-16 pilot safely destroyed the drone as it was traveling over territorial waters, 12 kilometers northeast of the town of Sulina.
This marks the third Russian drone downed by Romania in the past three days. The country struck a Shahed-type drone for the first time on Friday in an uninhabited area.
President Nicusor Dan said in a statement on social media platform X, "It is unacceptable and intolerable that the Russian Federation continues to violate Romanian airspace, which is also NATO and European Union airspace." Dan added that such actions are being addressed with maximum seriousness alongside allies.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan also said he finds the airspace violations unacceptable. The Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's ambassador to Bucharest over the repeated violations.
Defense Minister Radu Miruta said in a Facebook post that Romania will continue to defend its sovereignty and airspace with determination, but that these provocations must end.
NATO announced that further details regarding Sunday's incident are under review. NATO military headquarters spokesperson US Army Colonel Martin O'Donnell said, "These shootdowns come at a time when NATO, Romania and other nations are acquiring ground-based interceptors to bolster allied and national air defense capabilities."
According to data from the Romanian Defense Ministry, since the start of the war, Russian drones have entered national airspace without authorization 33 times, including Sunday's violation. While fragments from the drone downed on Friday were collected by prosecutors, the search for the wreckage of the drones shot down on Saturday and Sunday is ongoing.
