Romania said on Sunday, July 26. that its air force shot down another drone after it crossed into the country’s airspace over the Sulina-Chilia area, the third such incident in less than 48 hours.
According to President Nicuşor Dan, the UAV was neutralised at 10:13 a.m. by a Romanian F-16 over its territorial waters in the Black Sea.
Defence Minister Radu Miruţă said radar detected the drone outside Romanian airspace before it entered territorial waters at 10:08 a.m. and was then destroyed five minutes later in a safe operation. He said the incident showed the ongoing security risks created by Russia’s war against Ukraine, while praising Romanian pilots and ground crews for their professionalism.
Dan said Romania would launch a diplomatic protest against Russia, arguing that repeated violations of Romanian airspace, which is also NATO and European Union airspace, were unacceptable. He said the protest would be based on the findings of prosecutors, who identified one of the downed UAVs as a Shahed model used by Russia in its war on Ukraine.
Authorities had earlier issued a RO-Alert warning for northern Tulcea county, telling residents to shelter in cellars or remain indoors away from windows. No casualties or damage were reported in any of the three drone incidents, which all took place over uninhabited areas.
