Bucharest, October 2026 : Romania said on Saturday that its Air Force had shot down two drones that entered the country’s airspace without authorisation over the Black Sea. The government also announced plans to convene a dedicated meeting of the North Atlantic Council on October 20 to discuss regional defence and deterrence.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said two F-16 fighter jets intercepted and destroyed the drones in separate engagements near Sulina, a Romanian port city on the Black Sea coast.
According to Toiu, the first drone entered Romanian airspace at 5:59 pm local time and was shot down within two minutes, approximately 25 kilometres southeast of Sulina. The second drone was engaged and destroyed at 6:05 pm, around 20 kilometres east of the city, four minutes after entering the country’s airspace.
“The Black Sea will be safe again,” Toiu said in a post on social media platform X.
The Foreign Minister emphasised the strategic importance of the Black Sea, describing it as a critical maritime route for the international movement of grain, energy resources and industrial commodities. She said the stability of the region was essential to global food and energy security.
Toiu added that Romania had briefed its NATO allies and European Union partners about the incident.
“Our military has prepared for an increased intensity of hybrid interference and will continue to prioritise air defence and maritime security,” she said.
NATO Meeting to Focus on Black Sea Defence
Toiu announced that Romania had initiated a dedicated meeting of the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s principal political decision-making body, scheduled for Tuesday, October 20.
The meeting will focus on strengthening Black Sea defence and deterrence amid continuing security concerns in the region.
She also said Romania and Bulgaria were maintaining close contact at all levels to improve coordination and accelerate operational steps towards establishing an EU Maritime Security Hub in the Black Sea.
The initiative is intended to strengthen regional cooperation on maritime security at a time when incidents involving drones and other security threats have heightened concerns among countries bordering the Black Sea.
Previous Drone Incidents
The latest incident follows earlier cases of unauthorised drone incursions into Romanian airspace. In July, Romania reported that three drones had entered its airspace in three separate incidents and were shot down.
Following one such incident, Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared a member of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest persona non grata and ordered the individual to leave the country.
The ministry also summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev to its headquarters on the instructions of Toiu.
During the meeting, Romanian officials lodged a strong protest against what they described as “illegal and irresponsible” actions and stressed the attribution of responsibility.
The latest interceptions underscore Romania’s concerns about protecting its airspace and maritime approaches amid regional security tensions. Bucharest’s decision to seek a dedicated NATO discussion signals its intention to coordinate further measures with allies to strengthen deterrence and improve security across the Black Sea region.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
