Spanish fighter jet shoots down drone that entered Romanian airspace from Moldova
Romania's defence ministry said a Spanish F-18 operating under NATO duties shot down a drone that crossed into its airspace from Moldova early Sunday, near the Ukrainian border. The incident underscores the risks facing NATO states bordering Ukraine amid the ongoing war.
Romania's defence ministry announced on Sunday that a Spanish F-18 fighter jet, deployed on NATO duties, shot down a drone that had entered the country's airspace near its border with Ukraine and Moldova. According to the ministry, the drone crossed in from Moldova and was intercepted at 5:01 am local time (0201 GMT).
Debris from the drone landed in an unpopulated area of the Galati region, located near the Ukrainian border.
A recurring pattern
Romania's eastern coastline along the Black Sea sits close to areas frequently struck by attacks. Since 2023, Romanian authorities have repeatedly found drone fragments on national territory following Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports along the Danube River, just across the border.
Last month, Romania shot down a drone for the first time since Russia's 2022 invasion began, after it entered the country's airspace roughly 100 kilometres from Bucharest.
Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere along NATO's eastern flank, including in Poland and the Baltic states. On Friday, NATO reported that Italian fighter jets carrying out the alliance's air-policing mission shot down a drone that had entered Latvian airspace.
