Romanian F-16 downs drone in Sulina area; President calls it 'inadmissible'

A Romanian F-16 fighter jet intercepted and downed a drone that had entered the country's airspace over the Black Sea near Sulina on Sunday morning. This marks the third drone downed by Romania in recent days, escalating tensions and prompting a strong diplomatic response.

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It is inadmissible and intolerable that the Russian Federation continues to violate Romania's airspace, which is also NATO and European Union airspace. Such actions are unacceptable and we treat them with all seriousness, alongside our allies.

President Nicușor Dan condemned the incident as "unacceptable and intolerable," emphasizing that Russia's continued violations of Romanian airspace, which is also part of NATO and the European Union, are in no way acceptable. He stated that Romania is treating these actions with the utmost seriousness, in coordination with its allies.

The Ministry of National Defense confirmed the drone was shot down over the Black Sea at 10:13 AM. The Romanian Air Force pilots were praised for their professionalism and courage in defending national territory and ensuring citizen safety. Investigations are ongoing to determine the specifics of the downed drones, with preliminary findings suggesting the drone downed on Friday was a Russian Shahed type.

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Our pilots downed a third drone that entered Romanian airspace! This morning, at 10:13, a Romanian pilot, at the controls of an F-16 fighter aircraft of the Romanian Air Forces, downed a third drone that entered Romania's airspace. The drone was shot down over the Black Sea.

This latest incident underscores the ongoing security concerns along Romania's eastern border, adjacent to the conflict in Ukraine. The repeated incursions highlight the potential for spillover and the critical role of NATO air defense in the region.

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Today, Romanian Air Force pilots intervened again to defend national airspace. A drone that illegally entered Romania's airspace was shot down by an F-16 aircraft over the Black Sea, within Romania's territorial waters. This is the third drone downed in the last three days. For us, every such mission has only one objective: the safety of Romania's citizens. I thank the pilots and all the military personnel involved for how they carry out their mission, with professionalism and responsibility.