Romanian fighter jets shoot down two drones over Black Sea

Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jets shot down two drones over the country's territorial waters in the Black Sea on October 17. DW reported that the Romanian Defense Ministry confirmed the operation, while Le Monde, Arab News, and Breakingthenews.net also reported that Romania shot down two drones in its airspace over the sea. [1][5][6][9]

Defense Minister Radu Miruta stated on Facebook that military pilots engaged and shot down the two drones moments after they illegally entered national airspace, according to DW. The Romanian fighter jets brought down the aircraft around 20 kilometers, or 13 miles, southeast of Sulina. DW noted that authorities have not released details regarding the country of origin of the drones. [1]

The incident follows recent security escalations in the region. DW and Euronews reported that drone attacks recently struck commercial vessels off the coast. Earlier, two chemical tankers caught fire off the coast, leaving seven people missing, according to Al Jazeera and Forth.News. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Romanian authorities launched an investigation into a suspected drone attack on a tanker off its Black Sea coast. [1][3][8][10][14]

The Black Sea is bordered by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. In an interview with Euronews, Romanian President Nicușor Dan called for greater NATO oversight in the region and warned that Black Sea security is under growing pressure. [3][11]