Drone shot down over Romania: NATO says it may have been linked to Russia

A Spanish F-18 fighter jet, while patrolling Romanian airspace, shot down a drone that had illegally crossed the country’s border. NATO said the drone was likely of Russian origin.

This is reported by Reuters .

The Romanian Ministry of Defense said the drone was shot down at 05:01. It was detected by radar after entering the country’s airspace from the Moldovan side, approximately 24 km north of the city of Galati.

A Spanish F-18 established radar contact with the target and, after receiving permission, struck it. According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, fragments of the drone likely fell in a deserted area between 2 villages.

The spokesman for the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, American Colonel Martin O’Donnell, said that the Alliance continues to monitor the situation.

“Additional details regarding today’s incident remain under investigation, but the drone appears to be Russian,” O’Donnell said.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense has not yet clarified the origin of the drone.

It is worth noting that this is the 4th drone shot down over Romania in 2026 .

By the way, on July 24, the Romanian military shot down a drone that violated the country’s airspace . The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine suggested that Russia could have intentionally directed the drone towards a NATO member country.

Recall that on the night of June 26, Romania declared an air alert due to a Russian attack on the Odessa region . Amidst the attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure near the border, the country deployed a military helicopter to monitor the air situation.

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