Romania shoots down two drones in its airspace over the Black Sea

Romania announced on Saturday that it had shot down two drones over the Black Sea, amid an increase in similar aircraft attacks on ships in the region, seen as a repercussion of the war in Ukraine. The destruction of these two drones comes four days before a special NATO meeting on Tuesday in Brussels, devoted to defense and deterrence in the Black Sea, while since the beginning of October incidents attributed to Russian drones have multiplied off the coast of Romania and Bulgaria.

“Two drones were targeted and shot down a few minutes ago by Romanian army pilots over the Black Sea, moments after illegally entering our country,” Defense Minister Radu Miruta said on Facebook, without specifying the type of drones in question and their nationality.

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“The first drone entered national airspace at 5:59 p.m. local time (2:59 p.m. GMT) and was shot down in less than two minutes, 25 km southeast of Sulina,” a town bordering the Black Sea, writes Radu Miruta. “The second drone, which was in the same area, was targeted and shot down at 6:05 p.m. local time (3:05 p.m. GMT), five minutes after entering national airspace, 20 km east of Sulina,” he added. “The two drones were shot down by F16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force (...) after radar surveillance systems detected a group of aerial targets moving about 120 kilometers east of Serpent Island, in a southwest direction,” the Romanian Defense Ministry said.

“A new type of challenge”

“The Black Sea will be safe again,” Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu promised on X, adding that she had informed Romania's allies. “Our armed forces have prepared for increased hybrid interference and will continue to prioritize air defense and maritime security,” she added.

The Black Sea constitutes a key maritime artery for the global export of grain, energy resources and industrial raw materials, making its stability vital for international food and energy security. On Thursday, Romanian President Nicusor Dan declared, following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, that Romania needed “equipment to face a new type of challenge.”

Mark Rutte had indicated that the military alliance “would continue to work closely with its Black Sea allies, adapting if necessary its deterrence and defense posture”. NATO has already shot down four drones in Romanian airspace, all this year.