Romania scrambled fighter jets after a Russia Geran drone entered Romania’s airspace during an attack on Ukraine, the defense ministry said Sunday.
The ministry scrambled two F-16 fighter jets, which were carrying out an air patrol mission in northern Dobrogea and intercepted the drone.
The drone orbited for about 50 minutes, in eastern Romania from the village of Chilia Veche to southwest of the town of Izmail.
The drone left the Romanian airspace near Pardina and headed towards Ukraine.
The ministry said the F-16 aircraft had intermittent contact with the target, visually and radar, and tracked its path.
The pilots were cleared to shoot down the target, but in the moments when they had direct contact, they assessed the collateral risks and made a decision not to open fire.
German allies deployed at Mihail Kogălniceanu also came with two Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, which monitored the area until 9:30 p.m Saturday.
The Defense Ministry strongly condemned “the irresponsible actions of the Russian Federation and stresses that they pose a new challenge to regional security and stability in the Black Sea area.”
In a statement, the ministry said that “such incidents demonstrate the Russian Federation’s lack of respect for the norms of international law and endanger not only the safety of Romanian citizens, but also the collective security of NATO.”
The defense ministry “assures the public that all necessary measures to guarantee national security are permanently applied, and the defense structures are ready to respond promptly to any similar situation.
Romania passed a law in July 2025 to shoot down aerial vehicles that enter the national airspace unauthorized.
The decision to shoot down is “in relation to the level of the threat, within the limits of … international law, after taking into account all the specific circumstances of the event and taking into account the priority of protecting the life of persons.”
“Only after assessment can the aircraft or plane that violates the national airspace without authorization be destroyed.ˮ
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