Romania F-16s shoot down three Russian drones, expels Russian ambassador

Published Jul 31, 02:49 PM UTC

Romania is facing repeated Russian drone incursions into its airspace, with three drones entering over a single weekend in late July 2026. Romanian F-16 pilots shot down all three, marking a shift in policy after a May incident where a drone hit a residential building in Galați, injuring a mother and child. Romania has experienced over 80 drone incursions since 2022. The government is currently non-functional and public finances are strained, but the military continues to defend NATO's eastern flank. Bucharest expelled Russia's ambassador following the weekend events. Analysts view the incursions as a deliberate Russian test of NATO defenses, though the cost of using expensive missiles to down cheap drones is noted as a concern.