NATO says drone downed over Romania likely Russian
A NATO spokesperson said a drone shot down over Romania overnight on August 16 appears to be of Russian origin. Romania has faced repeated airspace violations by drones in recent years.
A spokesperson for NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, US Colonel Martin O'Donnell, said the drone shot down over Romania during the night of August 15-16 appears to be Russian. The statement was reported by Reuters, citing O'Donnell, via European Pravda.
Commenting on the incident, in which a Spanish fighter jet downed the drone, O'Donnell said the Alliance remains constantly vigilant and ready to defend against any threat. He noted that further details of Sunday's incident are still being investigated, but the drone appears to be Russian.
Romania's Ministry of Defence has not officially confirmed the drone's origin, stating only that radar detected it entering the country's south-eastern region from neighbouring Moldova, about 24 kilometres north of the city of Galați.
Romania, which shares a 614-kilometre land border with Ukraine, has reported repeated violations of its airspace by drones over the past four years, along with floating mines in the Black Sea threatening key trade and energy routes.
Course of events
Overnight on August 15-16, an F-18 fighter jet from Spain's Air and Space Force, patrolling Romanian airspace, shot down an unidentified drone that had entered the country's territory. This marked the fourth such incident, following three previous cases, two of which occurred on July 24 and 26.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu said Bucharest had informed its NATO allies about the overnight drone incident.
