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A Spanish F-18 fighter jet operating on a NATO air-policing mission shot down a drone that illegally entered Romanian airspace, Romania’s Defence Ministry said Sunday.
The incident marks the fourth time Romania has downed a drone this year amid repeated airspace incursions linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Romanian radars detected the unmanned aircraft entering the country from neighbouring Moldova, about 24 km (15 miles) north of the southeastern city of Galati. The ministry did not identify the drone’s origin.
The F-18 established radar contact with the target and was authorised to engage it, the ministry said. The drone was shot down at 5:01 a.m., with debris apparently falling in an uninhabited area between two villages.
Romania, a NATO member, shares a 614-km (382-mile) border with Ukraine and has experienced repeated drone incursions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. The country has also reported mines drifting into the Black Sea, threatening key trade and energy routes.
In July, Romanian F-16s shot down three Russian drones that had entered national airspace—the first such action following dozens of incursions over more than four years of war.
Earlier this year, a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building in Galati during an overnight attack on neighbouring Ukraine, injuring two people.