Overview
- Romanian F-16s shot down three suspected drones over the Black Sea coast between July 24 and July 26, and on July 27 radar tracked a fourth that briefly entered Romanian airspace before returning to Ukraine.
- Prosecutors have forensically identified the July 24 wreckage as a Russian Shahed‑type drone while debris from the July 25 and 26 incidents remains under investigation.
- Allied command supported the responses with NATO-operational scrambles from Fetești and allied jets on station, and Romania and partners are accelerating deployment of counter‑drone systems such as MEROPS.
- Bucharest summoned Russia’s ambassador, showed drone fragments, declared a member of the Russian embassy persona non grata and recalled its ambassador to Moscow as a diplomatic protest.
- Officials say the three-day military response cost roughly €1.5 million and the incidents renew fears of Ukraine war spillover, making further hardening of air defences and possible NATO consultations likely next steps.