Spanish fighter plane shoots down drone in Romanian airspace near Ukraine

The Romanian Ministry of Defense, Radu Miruta, reported this Sunday that a Spanish fighter plane on a NATO air surveillance mission shot down a drone that had crossed its airspace near the border with Ukraine and Moldova.

"At 04:44 hours, the target was detected entering the Romanian national airspace, 24 kilometers north of Galati. At that time, two Spanish F-18 fighter planes, which had already been put on alert as a precautionary measure, received authorization to intervene," the Romanian president confirmed in a publication on his social networks.

He added that debris fell in a depopulated area of the Galati region, between the towns of Baleni and Cudalbi, near the border with Moldova.

"Congratulations to the Spanish pilots and the Romanian military personnel in the command center for a successful mission! Romania is defending its airspace, and our allies are at our side. Vigilance, rapid response and allied solidarity: these are the concrete guarantees of our security," celebrated the head of Defense.

For its part, NATO has confirmed that a Spanish F-18 fighter has been "mobilized and that it has shot down a drone over Romanian airspace," in the words of its spokesperson, Allison Hart, to Europa Press.

"The aircraft was operating under NATO command. An investigation is underway and NATO remains in close contact with the Romanian authorities," he added, while ensuring that the Atlantic Alliance is ready to "respond to any potential threat, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in order to safeguard our territory and protect our population."

Romania, with 19 million inhabitants, shares a land border of about 614 kilometers with Ukraine and has become one of the countries most exposed to the consequences of the war. Its eastern part, on the Black Sea, is located near areas frequently attacked by Russian forces.