Bucharest summons Russian envoy over repeated airspace violations
Romania's Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's ambassador, Vladimir Lipaev, on an urgent basis after a third drone in as many days was shot down following its entry into Romanian airspace. Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu announced the move on X.
"It is inadmissible and intolerable for the Russian Federation to keep violating Romanian airspace, which is also NATO and EU airspace," Țoiu wrote. "Such actions are unacceptable, and we treat them with the utmost seriousness, together with our allies. Following these repeated violations, the Russian Federation's ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry."
Țoiu said that, according to an investigation by the Prosecutor General's Office, the drone shot down Friday morning was a Shahed-type drone, the model Russia has used throughout its war of aggression against Ukraine. Investigations into the drones downed over the past two days are ongoing, HotNews reports.
"Romania's diplomatic protest against the Russian Federation will be based on the findings of these investigations," the minister added. She also praised Romanian pilots and ground crews for their professionalism, courage and efficiency.
Friday, 24 July marked the first time Romania's air force shot down a drone over its own territory, when an F-16 pilot struck a Shahed drone over an uninhabited area near Padina-Pogoanele, in Buzău County. A second drone was shot down over Romanian airspace on Saturday morning, 25 July, near the town of Sfântu Gheorghe, also intercepted by a Romanian F-16 pilot. A third drone was shot down Sunday morning, 26 July, over Romania's territorial waters near Sulina–Chilia.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu also weighed in on the drone incidents, saying: "Romania's security is Moldova's security."
It has been 1,613 days since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to Romania's Defence Ministry, more than 100 attacks have been recorded on Ukrainian territory near the Romanian border over that period. As a result, 33 cases of Russian drone incursions into Romanian national airspace have been logged, and roughly 50 incidents involved drone fragments or intact drones found on Romanian territory.
This year alone, more than 40 attacks have been recorded on Ukrainian territory near the border. Aircraft were scrambled under NATO's Enhanced Air Policing mission in 34 of those cases. Eighteen cases involved unauthorized drone incursions into Romanian national airspace.
In three of those cases, drones that entered national airspace without authorization were shot down by Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft, most recently on 26 July. Sixteen incidents involved drone fragments or drones found on Romanian territory.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
