Romanian fighter jets shoot down 2 drones over Black Sea

Romanian F-16 fighter jets have shot down two drones over the nation’s territorial waters, in accordance with the Romanian Defense Ministry.

“Two drones had been engaged and shot down a couple of minutes in the past by Romanian navy pilots over the Black Sea, moments after they’d illegally entered our nation,” Defense Minister Radu Miruta wrote on Facebook.

So far, no info has been launched concerning the nation of origin of the drones.

What do we all know concerning the incident?

F-16 fighter jets shot down the drones some 20 kilometers (13 miles) southeast of Sulina.

“The first drone entered nationwide airspace at 17:59 (14:59 GMT) and was shot down inside two minutes,” Miruta mentioned.

He added that the second was shot down at 6:05 p.m., 5 minutes after coming into Romanian airspace.

“The Black Sea might be protected once more,” Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu wrote on X. She added that NATO will talk about the problem at a North Atlantic Council assembly on Tuesday.

Drone assaults endanger navigation within the Black Sea

This drone incursion is the most recent in a collection of incidents believed to be a results of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

In October, a number of drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea had been reported off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria.

The most up-to-date assault occurred on Thursday, when two chemical tankers were attacked off Romania’s coast, leaving seven crew members lacking.

Both vessels had been anchored close to the Sulina Canal, which connects the Danube River to the Black Sea. The canal serves as an export route for Ukraine.

Romania, an EU and NATO member, shares a 614-kilometer (381-mile) border with Ukraine, a part of which is alongside the Danube.

The nation has repeatedly reported Russian drone incursions into its airspace since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Romania started capturing down these drones earlier this yr.

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

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