Romania shoots down drone in airspace for first time — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Romania shot down a drone in its airspace on Friday (July 24, 2026) — the first such shootdown since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, President Nicusor Dan said at a press conference.
- President Nicusor Dan said a Romanian Air Force F-16 pilot engaged the target at 11:02 am near the village of Padina, about 114 km from Bucharest, and stressed the area was uninhabited, which allowed the pilot to fire from above.
- The Defence Ministry reported surveillance first detected an aerial target at 09:39 am, prompting two Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons and two Romanian F-16s to scramble before the Romanian jet fired.
- Foreign Minister Oana Toiu credited the 'dedicated pilot' and 'seamless coordination with Italian Eurofighters on NATO Air Policing duty,' and said Romania will continue investing in modern air defence and anti-drone capabilities.
- NATO and the EU had previously condemned Russia after a drone hit an apartment building in May, wounding two people — but Romania had not shot down any drones before Friday.
- In 2025, Romania's parliament adopted a law allowing the country to shoot down drones breaching its airspace.
Why it matters: Romania's first shootdown of a drone in its airspace marks a shift from monitoring to actively engaging incursions — dozens have been detected since the Ukraine war began, including one that hit an apartment building in May — now authorized under a 2025 law and coordinated with Italian NATO jets on Air Policing duty.
Ask SkimNews
