Romanian F-16s Shoot Down Two Drones Over Territorial Waters

Reuters

Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down two drones.

Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down two drones over the country’s territorial waters on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said.

Defence Minister Radu Miruta said on Sunday that the drones were likely to be latest-generation Russian models, capable of flying at speeds comparable to those of fighter jets.

"The ones from last night were flying at 450 km/h, which leads us to think they were Russian-made Geran-4 drones with a turboprop engine," Miruta said. "This is the first time we've shot down drones like these."

# Romanian F-16s Shoot Down Two Drones Over Black Sea Waters

Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down two drones over the country’s territorial waters on Saturday, days after two chemical tankers were struck by drones near Romania’s Black Sea coast, raising concerns over the safety of commercial shipping along NATO’s eastern flank.

Both tankers were anchored near the Sulina Canal, which connects the Danube River to the Black Sea and serves as an export route for Ukraine.

Romania, a NATO member, shares a 614-kilometre border with Ukraine, much of it running along the Danube. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Romania has repeatedly reported Russian drone incursions into its airspace.

The country began shooting down drones entering its airspace earlier this year.

According to Romania’s Defence Ministry, the two drones entered the country’s Black Sea territorial waters at 1459 GMT and 1501 GMT on Saturday.

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said the North Atlantic Council would meet on Tuesday to discuss defence and deterrence in the Black Sea region.

At least five other cargo ships have been struck near the coasts of Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria over the past two weeks, with 23 sailors reported dead or missing. Most of the incidents occurred outside NATO territorial waters.

Meanwhile, authorities in Moldova, which borders Romania to the north-east, reported that another drone had crashed in a northern district near the Ukrainian border. Officials said there were no casualties or damage, and specialists were working to establish the drone’s origin.

Five drones identified as Russian fell on Moldovan territory within just over 17 hours on Thursday and Friday, prompting the country’s Foreign Ministry to issue a statement condemning Russia’s actions.

Source: Reuters



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