President Nicusor Dan said a Romanian F-16 shot down a drone that entered the country’s airspace early Friday near Padina in Buzău County. The engagement occurred in an uninhabited area, and investigators are examining the site. Authorities have not yet identified the drone's origin. Romania has reported multiple drone incursions since 2022, including a late-May strike that injured two people.
Romanian F-16 Downs Drone Near Buzău County, President Says
A Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone that violated Romania's airspace early on Friday, President Nicusor Dan said. The engagement took place near the town of Padina in Buzău County, in the country's east.
"This morning, around 11:00, a Romanian pilot on an F-16 aircraft shot down a drone that entered our country's airspace," Dan wrote on social media platform X.
Dan said the area where the drone was engaged was uninhabited, allowing the pilot to act without endangering civilians. Teams from the relevant institutions are now investigating the site to establish the full details of the incident.
The Romanian Defence Ministry confirmed the drone was downed near Padina but did not identify its origin.
Romania, an EU and NATO member that shares a roughly 650-kilometre land border with Ukraine, has reported multiple airspace violations by drones since Moscow intensified strikes on Ukrainian Danube ports after its 2022 invasion. Authorities have previously attributed a number of such incursions to Russian forces or Russian-made systems.
In late May a drone struck an apartment building in Romania, injuring two people — the first time a strike hit a densely populated area in a NATO country and caused casualties during the wider conflict. Romanian and NATO officials continue to monitor these incidents amid broader regional security concerns.
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