BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s F-16s intercepted two drones over the Black Sea on Saturday and shot them down, the defense ministry said. Both came down in Romania’s territorial waters.
The jets, on air policing duty, took off from the 86th Air Base at Borcea at 5:43 p.m. local time. Their radars had picked up a group of aerial targets roughly 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Snake Island, moving southwest toward the coast — this from the ministry’s statement, posted on X.
The first drone crossed the border at 5:59 p.m. It was downed two minutes later. The second drone, in Romanian airspace from 6:01 p.m., was destroyed at 6:05 p.m.
Foreign Minister Oana Toiu, posting on X, put the first shootdown 25 kilometers southeast of Sulina and the second 20 kilometers east of the town.
“The Black Sea will be safe again,”
Days earlier, two chemical tankers anchored near the Sulina Canal — a Danube export route for Ukraine — were hit by drones. A NATO military source told Reuters the tankers were struck by Russian drones. Romanian crews were still searching for seven missing sailors.
Reuters counts at least five other cargo ships hit near the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts in the past 10 days, with 23 sailors dead or missing. Most of the attacks happened outside NATO territorial waters.
Toiu said allies and EU partners had been briefed. At Romania’s initiative, the North Atlantic Council will hold a dedicated meeting on Oct. 20 to discuss Black Sea defense and deterrence, she said. Romania and Bulgaria are also coordinating on an EU Maritime Security Hub for the Black Sea.
Romania is a NATO member. Its border with Ukraine runs 614 kilometers (381 miles), much of it along the Danube. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Romania has reported drone incursions again and again. Earlier this year it started shooting them down.
Have something to promote?
Bring your business, services or event to our readers.
