NATO's F-18 Downs UAV in Romanian Skies

Spanish F-18 fighter jets deployed in Romania as part of a NATO mission have intercepted and destroyed an unidentified drone near the Moldovan border. This was announced by Romania’s Minister of Defense, Radu Miruțan.

According to him, the target was detected at 4:44 a.m., 24 kilometers north of the city of Galați. The two Spanish F-18 aircraft, already on high alert as a precautionary measure, were authorized to intercept the drone.

The origin of the drone, which Romanian authorities have yet to confirm, was destroyed in the southeastern part of the country, between the villages of Baleni and Cudalbi, close to the Moldovan border. Minister Miruțan congratulated the Spanish pilots and the Romanian servicemen supporting the command center's operations. He emphasized that Romania is protecting its airspace and has the support of its allies.

He stated that the presence of allies is a real guarantee of security, based on constant monitoring, rapid response, and the solidarity of NATO member states. Miruțan also mentioned that Romania is at the forefront of European Union defense, noting that the country shares a land border of about 614 kilometers with Ukraine.

The incident occurred during another night of reciprocal strikes between Russia and Ukraine. Large fires broke out in Kyiv due to Russian attacks, injuring at least two people. In turn, Moscow announced that its territory had been targeted by over 600 drones, resulting in three injuries.

In recent weeks, several similar incidents have been recorded in Romanian airspace. Last Thursday, two Spanish F-18 jets were scrambled from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base when an object was detected flying near the river border with Ukraine. The drone remained within Romanian airspace for about 12 minutes before returning to Ukrainian territory, prompting SMS warnings sent to residents of the Tulcea region.

One day later, a drone was shot down in Romania, having flown at a very low altitude and undetected by radar. During the same timeframe, NATO fighters also intercepted another drone in Latvian territory. Earlier in August, another unidentified drone had exploded in Bulgarian airspace near the Romanian border, reportedly having entered Bulgaria from Romania.

One of the most serious incidents occurred on May 29, when a Russian drone collided with a residential building in Galați, causing a fire and injuring two people. NATO described the incident as an irresponsible escalation by Russia. At that time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the alliance is ready to protect every inch of allied territory from such threats.