Romania Shoots Down Drone Intruding Into Airspace for Second Consecutive Day

Photo: Collected

Romania's military shot down a drone that entered the country's airspace for the second consecutive day on Saturday. It was the second time Romania had shot down a drone since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The news was reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Romania, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, has detected several incidents of drones entering its airspace since 2022. Some of the drones have also crashed on Romanian territory.

On Friday, Romania's armed forces shot down a drone for the first time, about 114 kilometres from the capital, Bucharest.

Defence Minister Radu Miruta said another drone that had "illegally entered" Romanian airspace was shot down at 8:34 a.m. local time (0534 GMT) on Saturday.

He said the drone was brought down about 9.6 kilometres west of Sfantu Gheorghe in the Danube Delta, near the Ukrainian border.

In a Facebook post, Miruta said the drone was detected by the Defence Ministry's radar entering Romanian airspace at 8:22 a.m. A few minutes later, a Romanian F-16 fighter jet struck the drone.

Romania has detected multiple incidents of drones entering its airspace since the start of the war in Ukraine.

In May, a drone crashed into a residential building in the country, injuring two people. NATO and the European Union condemned the incident, blamed Russia and warned against similar airspace incursions in the future.

In 2025, Romania's parliament passed a law allowing the country's military to shoot down drones that violate its airspace.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X on Friday that strengthening defence and deterrence capabilities along the eastern border was one of the top priorities. She also praised the Romanian military.