Romania shoots down drone in its airspace for first time
Romania's air force shot down a Russian drone that entered its airspace on Friday, marking the first such intercept since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Romania shot down a drone in its airspace on Friday, July 24, for the first time since Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine, President Nicolae Ciucă announced. The incident occurred about 114 kilometers from Bucharest, over the area of Padina village.
Airspace monitoring systems detected the target at 9:39 AM, prompting the dispatch of two Italian Eurofighter Typhoons and two Romanian F-16 fighters. At 11:02 AM, a Romanian pilot flying an F-16 opened fire and shot down the drone. The president noted that the area was uninhabited, allowing the pilot to fire from above. An investigation is underway.
Since the start of Russia's invasion, Romania has recorded dozens of drone incursions but had never before managed to intercept one. In May, a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Galați, injuring two people.
