Romania has said it shot down two drones that entered its airspace over the Black Sea, the latest in a series of incidents believed to be spillover from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Defence Minister Radu Miruta said on Facebook on Saturday that Romanian F-16 fighter jets intercepted and shot down both drones about 20 kilometres southeast of Sulina.
“Two drones were engaged and shot down a few minutes ago by Romanian military pilots over the Black Sea, moments after they had illegally entered our country,” he wrote.
The first drone entered Romanian airspace at 17:59 local time (14:59 GMT) and was shot down within two minutes, Miruta said.
The second was downed at 18:05, five minutes after crossing into the country’s airspace.
Two F-16 fighter jets of the Romanian Air Force engaged the drones, according to a press release of the defence ministry.
NATO has previously shot down four drones in Romania's airspace, all of them this year.
Russian drone incursions
Romania, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, has repeatedly reported Russian drone incursions since the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022. Much of the border follows the Danube, close to Ukrainian ports targeted by Russian forces.
The latest incident follows drone strikes on two tankers near Romania’s Black Sea coast earlier this week.
Romanian authorities resumed searches on Friday for seven missing sailors from one of the vessels, raising further concerns about the war’s impact on commercial shipping.
Neighbouring Bulgaria has also requested NATO combat aircraft and anti-drone systems following attacks on ships in the Black Sea. Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Friday that Sofia had formally sought additional support to strengthen its defences.
