Romania shoots down third Russian drone, summons ambassador

Romania identifies downed drone as Russian Shahed model

Romania shot down a third Russian drone over its Black Sea territorial waters in a week and summoned Moscow’s ambassador, officials said Sunday, as the NATO member identified the intruding aircraft as a Shahed model used by Russia in its war against Ukraine.

The drone was detected by radar outside Romanian airspace before it entered national territory above the town of Sulina at 10:08 a.m., Defense Minister Radu Miruta said in a statement. A Romanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon shot it down over the Black Sea five minutes later, he said.

Miruta congratulated the pilots and ground support teams, saying “Romania’s safety is not defended with slogans.” He added that “each such incident confirms that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues to generate risks beyond Ukrainian borders.”

Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said Bucharest has summoned the Russian ambassador and will weigh whether to lodge a diplomatic protest over the three recent incidents. An initial investigation determined that the drone shot down Friday “is of the Shahed type, used by the Russian Federation in the war of aggression against Ukraine,” Toiu said.

“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,” she said. “Such actions are unacceptable, and we treat them with the utmost seriousness, alongside our allies.”

Romanian President Nicușor Dan also congratulated the pilots and criticized Moscow for its “continued violation” of Romanian airspace.

Separately, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged allies to create a “comprehensive deterrence package” against Russia over the violations, calling them “a clear demonstration of the Kremlin’s complete disregard for international law, national sovereignty, and European security.”

“The response must match the scale of the threat,” Sybiha said. “We need a comprehensive deterrence package for Ukraine and Europe: stronger sanctions, maximum pressure on Russia, and a joint effort to shield Europe’s skies from Russian terror.”

Miruta said the repeated airspace violations demonstrate that Russia’s war “continues to generate risks beyond Ukrainian borders” and demand a coordinated allied response.