Romanian fighter jets intercepted and destroyed a suspected Russian drone over the Black Sea on Sunday, marking the third unauthorized airspace entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization\u2019s eastern border in just three days.<\/p>\n
Operating under allied operational control, two Romanian F-16 multirole aircraft were dispatched from Fete\u0219ti Airbase in the southeastern part of the country after tracking systems detected the target. The interception occurred at 10:13 a.m. local time near the Sulina\u2013Chilia coastal area, where the Danube River empties into territorial waters opposite Ukraine\u2019s Odesa region.<\/p>\n
Addressing the repeated intrusions, Romanian President Nicusor Dan stated that forensic evaluations of a previously downed aircraft identified it as a Shahed-type loitering munition\u2014an Iranian-designed attack drone heavily deployed by Moscow during its campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure. Dan characterized the cross-border flights as an intolerable infringement on both Romanian and allied territory.<\/p>\n
The incident highlights growing security tensions along the border between NATO<\/a> members and the active war zone in Ukraine. Russian air strikes targeting Ukrainian river ports along the Danube have repeatedly spilled over into neighboring airspace, posing direct hazards to civilian communities. In May, an off-course Russian drone crashed into a residential complex in eastern Romania, leaving two people injured.<\/p>\n