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Romania shoots down three Russian drones, defends NATO's eastern flank amid political and fiscal crisis
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Romania is actively defending NATO's eastern border against repeated Russian drone incursions, despite lacking a functioning government and facing severe budget constraints. Over a recent weekend, Romanian F-16 pilots shot down three Russian drones that entered Romanian airspace, one each day. This follows over 80 drone incursions since 2022, including a May incident where a drone struck a residential building in Galați, injuring a mother and child—the first European casualties of the war outside Ukraine. The military's decision to engage drones came after public outcry. Romania subsequently expelled Russia's ambassador. Analysts view the incursions as a deliberate Russian test of NATO defenses, though they note the cost imbalance of using half-million-euro rockets to down cheap drones.
Source report
While European security experts and the public focus on Poland and the Baltics—which face heightened threats—another stretch of NATO's eastern border remains under constant pressure. Romania must defend itself despite lacking a functioning government and grappling with severely strained public finances.
Pilot Downed Two Russian Drones in 24 Hours
"We are there to protect them, day and night, seven days a week, all year round. When they are on vacation, when they are at work, we are up there. Maybe you can't see us, but we will protect you," said the Romanian F-16 pilot who shot down two Russian drones within 24 hours over the weekend.
The interview was published by the Romanian Ministry of National Defence, without revealing the pilot's identity.
Weekend Drone Incursions
Since last Friday, three Russian drones entered Romanian airspace over the weekend—one each day. Romanian F-16 pilots engaged and shot down every one of them.
This was not the pilots' first encounter. A Romanian fighter jet had previously downed a drone during an air-policing mission in the Baltics.
Nevertheless, eliminating a Russian UAV on home territory marked a significant success for the Romanian Ministry of Defence and the military.
Rising Drone Threats
Romania has experienced more than 80 drone incursions into its airspace since Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine began in 2022. Currently, such incursions occur nearly every week.
The most serious incident came in May, when a drone struck a residential building in Galați, injuring a mother and her child—the first European casualties of the Russian war outside Ukraine.
That event sparked public debate in Romania over why the military had not intercepted the drone to protect residents.
"Probably this was a kind of national trigger to the reaction we had," said Romanian defence analyst Radu Tudor. In short, military authorities decided enough was enough and authorised pilots to engage intruding aircraft when possible.
A Russian Test, Not a Coincidence
Following the weekend's events, Bucharest expelled Russia's ambassador to the country.
"We believe that this is actually a Russian test," analyst Radu Magdin explained. "It's not a coincidence that one day after another they keep sending drones."
While the fighter-jet pilots passed the Russian "test" with flying colours, Romanian experts noted that it is far from ideal for cheap Russian drones to be downed by rockets worth half a million euros each.
Source
EUobserverWestern
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