Assessment of the incident produced by the penetration of a Russian drone into the national airspace

A Geran drone used by the Russian Federation in its attacks on Ukraine penetrated the Romanian airspace on Saturday, September 13th, at 6:05 p.m. and was intercepted by two F-16 fighter jets, which were conducting an air patrol mission in northern Dobruja.

The drone orbited for approximately 50 minutes, from north-east of Chilia Veche to south-west of Izmail, and left the national airspace near the town of Pardina, heading towards Ukraine.

The F-16 aircraft had intermittent visual and radar contact with the target, tracking it throughout its evolution.

The pilots received authorization to shoot down the target, but at the moments when they had direct contact, they assessed the collateral risks and decided not to open fire.

The German allies deployed to Mihail Kogălniceanu scrambled two Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft in support of the Romanian ones, which monitored the area until 9:30 p.m.

The Ministry of National Defence firmly condemns the Russian Federation’s irresponsible actions and emphasizes that they represent a new challenge posed to regional security and stability in the Black Sea area.

Such incidents demonstrate the Russian Federation's lack of respect for the norms of international law and endanger not only the Romanian citizens’ safety, but also NATO’s collective security.

Romania remains firmly committed to fulfilling its commitments as a member state of the Alliance and will continue to closely work with its partners and allies to monitor and defend the national airspace.

The Ministry of National Defence assures the public opinion that all necessary measures to guarantee national security are permanently enforced, and the defence structures are prepared to promptly respond to any similar situation.

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“Law No. 73 of 2025 provides the legal framework for the shooting down of drones and aerial vehicles that penetrate the national airspace without authorization, under the conditions stipulated in Art. 18: "The measures stipulated in Art. 11 are ordered in relation to the level of the threat, within the limits of applicable international law, after having taken into consideration all the specific circumstances of the event and the priority of protecting the people’ lives, the last possible measure to be taken being the destruction of the aircraft that flies over the national airspace without authorization."

According to the same law, the Minister of National Defence signed, in July 2025, the order which empowers the commanders designated by the OPLANs to shoot down drones.

The Press Office