Romania shoots down third suspected Russian drone in three days, summons Moscow's envoy

Romania on Sunday shot down a drone that entered its airspace over the Black Sea, marking the third such interception in as many days as the Nato member accused Russia of repeatedly violating its sovereignty amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.The Romanian defence ministry said an F-16 fighter jet destroyed the drone around 12 kilometres northeast of the coastal town of Sulina after it entered the country's airspace. The drone was brought down safely over territorial waters, according to Reuters.Romanian President Nicusor Dan condemned the repeated incursions, calling them "inadmissible and intolerable"."It is inadmissible and intolerable for the Russian Federation to continue violating Romania's airspace, which is, at the same time, Nato airspace and European Union airspace," Dan said in a post on X."Such actions are unacceptable, and we treat them with the utmost seriousness, alongside our allies," he added.Third drone shot down in three daysRomania had not previously destroyed any drones entering its airspace since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. That changed on Friday, when a Romanian pilot successfully shot down a drone in an uninhabited area.Sunday's interception was the third drone brought down in three consecutive days.President Dan said investigations confirmed the drone destroyed on Friday was a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle, a model widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine.Investigations into the drones shot down on Saturday and Sunday are still underway.The Romanian defence ministry said Russian drones have entered the country's airspace without authorisation 33 times since the war began.Romania summons Russian ambassadorFollowing the latest incursions, Romania's foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to protest what it described as repeated violations of the country's airspace, according to Reuters.Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan also described the breaches as "unacceptable".Defence minister Radu Miruta said Romania would continue protecting its sovereignty."Romania will continue to firmly defend its sovereignty and airspace but these provocations must stop," he wrote on Facebook, according to Reuters.Prosecutors have recovered debris from the drone shot down on Friday and are continuing searches for fragments from the other two drones.Nato monitoring situationNato said further details surrounding Sunday's incident were still being investigated."The shootdowns come as Nato, Romania, and other nations actively acquire ground-based interceptors to enhance allied and national air defence capabilities," US Army Colonel Martin O'Donnell, spokesperson for Nato's military headquarters, said, according to Reuters.Romania shares a 650-kilometre (400-mile) border with Ukraine, and Russian drone incursions have become increasingly frequent as Moscow intensifies attacks on Ukrainian ports along the Danube River.Border tensions have intensifiedRomania has witnessed multiple security incidents linked to the war in neighbouring Ukraine over the past year.Romania adopted a law in 2025 allowing its military to shoot down drones that violate its airspace.Earlier this year, a Russian drone involved in an attack on Ukraine struck an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people, while in June, Ukrainian maritime drones exploded near the Black Sea port of Constanta without causing casualties..Separately, Romania's army chief on Friday said Russian attacks around Ukraine's Odesa region had intensified ahead of the harvest season, increasing pressure on key energy and trade routes across the Black Sea.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.