Attacks near the border
Analysis of data downloaded from the F-16 aircraft tracking systems, corroborated with the information obtained by the crew of the vessel that arrived on the scene, confirmed that a single drone was involved.
On Thursday, August 20, two Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft scrambled towards the location where a small maritime drone was spotted in Romania's Exclusive Economic Zone, near the Neptun Alpha platform, approximately 80 nautical miles east of Constanța. One of the aircraft engaged the target and fired its onboard cannon at it, successfully hitting the target.
Regarding the incident that occurred on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, August 20th - when a drone breached the national airspace and crashed near the village of Grindu, Tulcea County - specialized teams of the Ministry of National Defence and the Border Police inspected and secured the area.
Data updated on 20 August 2026
The reported figures are grouped by year and by incident category.
| Period | Attacks near the border | Scrambled Aircraft | Unauthorized Access | Drones shot down | Drone/identified fragments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since the beginning of the war | 121 | 78 | 42 | 4 | 64 |
| 2026 | 55 | 43 | 24 | 4 | 28 |
| 2025 | 28 | 21 | 9 | 0 | 16 |
| 2024 | 26 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| 2023 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
Please note:
