Romania’s Ministry of National Defense reported 33 cases of airspace violations by Russian drones since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, three of which were destroyed in 2026 by F-16 fighters of the Romanian Air Force, Digi24 reports.
According to the Ministry of Defense of Romania, more than 100 attacks on Ukrainian territory near the border with Romania have been recorded since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Defense Ministry specified that over 40 attacks on Ukrainian territory near the Romanian border were recorded in 2026 alone. In response to these incidents, aircraft executing tasks within the Enhanced Air Policing mission were scrambled 34 times.
"During the same period, 33 cases of Russian drone incursions into Romanian airspace were recorded, the latest of which occurred on July 26, 2026," the report notes.
In addition, it was noted that 18 cases of unauthorized drone incursions into Romanian airspace were recorded during 2026. In three of them, the drones were destroyed by F-16 fighters of the country’s Air Force. Military personnel also detected debris or whole drones on Romanian territory 16 times.
As reported, President of Romania Nicușor Dan informed that a Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft shot down a new drone over Romania’s territorial waters in the Sulina–Chilia area on Sunday morning at 10:13, becoming the third drone shot down in three days.
The president noted that according to an investigation conducted by the Prosecutor General’s Office, the drone shot down on Friday morning, July 24, belonged to the "Shahed" type used by Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine.
