The drone was shot down just 11 minutes after it violated Romanian airspace, the 30th since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, authorities say
Romania said on Saturday that an F-16 pilot had shot down a second drone breaching its national airspace over a mainly unpopulated area near the border with Ukraine.
Acting Defense Minister Radu Miruta said the pilot downed it just 11 minutes after it entered Romanian airspace, showing that the Romanian Army won’t tolerate “unauthorized entries.”
The first drone, which Romanian prosecutors said was Russian after investigating the debris, was shot down in the NATO-member on Friday morning, the first time after some 30 drones breached its territory.
President Nicusor Dan said that the second drone had been shot down Saturday morning, about 10 kilometers west of Sfantu Gheorghe in the Danube Delta.
În această dimineață, la ora 8:30, o nouă dronă a fost doborâtă în spațiul aerian românesc, la 10 km vest de localitatea Sfântu Gheorghe (Delta). Drona a fost doborâtă de un pilot român dintr-un avion F-16.
— Nicușor Dan (@NicusorDanRO) July 25, 2026
The origin of Saturday’s drone is not known, but prosecutors said the drone downed on Friday was Russian.
EU Commission President Antonio Costa praised Romanian authorities for “their swift and effective response,” on a post on X.
For the second time in 24 hours, Romanian airspace has been violated by drone incursions.
I commend the Romanian authorities for their swift and effective response.
We stand in full solidarity with Romania and its people. The security of Romania is the security of Europe. We…
— António Costa (@eucopresident) July 25, 2026
Romania which shares a 640-kilometer border with Ukraine says there have been about 30 breaches by Russian drones after it began attacking Ukrainian ports across the Danube River.
A Russian drone landed on an apartment building in the eastern city of Galati in May, injuring two.
It was the first time since the war begun that a strike had caused injuries in a NATO member.
Romania’s army chief of staff, Gen.Gheorghita Vlad, on Friday said Russian attacks around the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa had mounted ahead of autumn harvest season, pressurizing Black Sea trade routes.
