Romania summons Russian ambassador after shooting down third drone

Romania has announced it is summoning Russia’s ambassador following a sharp escalation along its border. The diplomatic rebuke comes after the NATO member state's military shot down a third drone in as many days.

The latest interception took place on Sunday. According to Defence Minister Radu Miruță, a Romanian F-16 fighter jet tracked and downed a target over the Black Sea just five minutes after it crossed the border. Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu subsequently confirmed the decision to summon the Russian envoy, denouncing the persistent breaches as unacceptable.

Media additions

President Nicușor Dan echoed those strong condemnations in a social media statement, pointing to preliminary investigative findings regarding the earlier incidents. According to the president, an analysis of the wreckage from the drone shot down on Friday confirmed it was a Shahed model deployed by Russian forces in the ongoing conflict. Investigations into the payloads downed on Saturday and Sunday remain ongoing.

"It is unacceptable and intolerable for the Russian Federation to continue violating Romania’s airspace, which is also the airspace of Nato and the European Union"

Nicușor Dan, President, via The Guardian and TRT World

International military officials have backed Bucharest's assessment of the threat. Martin O’Donnell, a senior NATO military spokesperson, stated that Sunday's downed craft also bore the hallmarks of Russian origin. O’Donnell noted that the current wave of interceptions coincides with a broader push among allied nations in the region to acquire advanced ground-based interceptors.

Geographic vulnerabilities have long plagued the border region. Romania shares a 650-kilometre border with Ukraine, leaving key trade and energy corridors exposed as Russian forces frequently target Ukrainian port infrastructure along the Danube River and the strategic Black Sea hub of Odesa.

The danger hit populated areas directly earlier this year when a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Galati near the Ukrainian frontier, leaving two people wounded. That incident marked the first time stray munitions caused injuries in a densely populated area of a NATO country during the war, spurring legislative and defensive changes.

Chronology of the Recent Escalation

• 2022: Airspace incursions begin as Moscow targets Ukrainian ports following the launch of the war, leading to roughly 30 reported incursions over time.
• May: A Russian drone hits a residential apartment building in Galați, wounding two people in a densely populated area.
• 2025: Parliament adopts new legislation authorizing the military to shoot down airspace-breaching drones as a last resort when they pose a threat to lives or property.
• Late June: The US-made, AI-powered Merops counter-drone mobile system is integrated into national defenses to intercept small targets flying at low altitudes.
• Friday: Romanian forces shoot down the first drone of the weekend, later identified through investigation as a Shahed model.
• Saturday: A second drone is intercepted, prompting forensic investigations that continue alongside later checks.
• Sunday: An F-16 fighter jet shoots down a third drone over the Black Sea five minutes after border penetration, leading to the summoning of the Russian ambassador by the foreign ministry.

The legal framework enabling these modern interceptions was established through parliamentary action in 2025, empowering the military to destroy unauthorized craft that breach its airspace as a last resort. Furthermore, the country integrated the advanced, US-made Merops counter-drone system into its defensive network at the end of June, deploying artificial intelligence to intercept small targets flying at low altitudes as regional air defenses face intensifying pressure.