Romanian F-16 shoots down suspected Russian drone after third airspace incursion

A Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a suspected Russian-made drone Sunday during the third consecutive day of unmanned aircraft incursions into the country. 

The latest incursion appears to have involved a drone of Russian origin, NATO military spokesman Col. Martin O’Donnell said Monday.

Since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Romania has seen numerous drones stray into its airspace.

In a statement Sunday, Romanian President Nicusor Dan said investigators confirmed that the initial drone incursion on Friday was carried out by a Shahed-type drone used by the Russian military in its war against Ukraine. The second incursion on Saturday is still being investigated.

“It is inadmissible and intolerable for the Russian Federation to continue violating Romania’s airspace, which is, at the same time, NATO airspace and European Union airspace,” Dan said. “Such actions are unacceptable, and we treat them with the utmost seriousness, alongside our allies.”

NATO countries, especially those on the alliance’s eastern flank, have expanded their defenses in response to the airspace violations.

For example, Romania and Poland have been outfitted with the U.S.-made Merops counter-drone system, which has been used by Ukrainian troops to shoot down Russian-made Shahed drones and other threats.

While many of the drone incidents have been linked to the Russia-Ukraine war, Western officials have also accused Moscow of using drones in a broader campaign of surveillance and other hostile activity across Europe.

Between August 2024 and February 2026, hundreds of drones maneuvered in the airspace of a dozen NATO member states and Ireland.

The incursions forced repeated closures of major commercial aviation hubs and disrupted military activities, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a report earlier this month.

Germany’s Ramstein Air Base was among the locations surveilled, as were bases involved in NATO’s nuclear deterrence mission, according to the report.

The drone flights were designed to map allied vulnerabilities and probe for weaknesses in military-civilian decision-making, it said.