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A Romanian F-16 fighter jet on Friday shot down a drone that entered the country’s airspace without permission, officials said, marking the first time that a NATO member has intercepted and destroyed a drone inside its national airspace.
Romanian authorities have not yet identified the drone’s origin or purpose. Romania’s army chief said the pilots described it as a martyr-type drone, Reuters reported Iran-designed attack drones are widely used by Russia against Ukraine.
The incident has direct implications for the US and its NATO allies, as repeated violations of airspace over the alliance’s eastern flank have raised concerns that Russia’s war in Ukraine could spill across NATO borders. Dozens of drone incursions or crashes have been recorded in Romania, which borders Ukraine, since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Soiu said the interception took place in an unpopulated area in Buzău County.
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An F-16 fighter jet takes part in NATO air shielding exercises near the air base in Lask, central Poland on October 12, 2022. (Radoslaw Jozwiak/AFP via Getty Images)
“Our borders and our sovereignty cannot be compromised, and our military and NATO air police will continue to monitor the land border, the Danube and the Black Sea, as our forces frequently identify risks,” Soiu told Fox News Digital.
“The impact zone and drone debris are currently being analyzed, but the pattern is consistent with previously confirmed Russian drone flights during several illegal attacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure on the border with Romania,” he said.
Soiu said Romania and NATO would continue to defend allied territory.
“NATO works, and we plan to get even stronger with the decisions on air defense and budget allocations from the Hague and Ankara summits,” he said. “The path to increased security is the path to peace on Romania’s border. We will protect our citizens and we will continue to invest in the defense of Romanian and friendly territory.”
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In this screengrab taken from a handout video released on June 30, 2026 The explosion, according to Romania’s Defense Ministry, was the detonation of fragments of a Russian drone found at a given location near the village of Rachelu, Romania. (Romanian Defense Ministry/Handout via Reuters)
Śoiu previously told Fox News Digital on July 2 that Russian drones had been detected inside Ukraine about 19 miles from the border with Romania, prompting two Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon jets operating from the 86th Air Base in Fetesti, Romania, as part of NATO’s Advanced Air Policing mission. He said at the time, a Romanian Air Force IAR 330 Puma helicopter was also deployed.
According to Śoiu, Romanian President Nicăor Dan and Defense Minister Radu Mireșu confirmed the country’s commitment to defending its airspace and investing in modern air-defense and anti-drone capabilities.
The incident underscores the growing threat to NATO’s eastern flank as Russia continues attacks across Ukraine and Kiev increasingly targets Russian military and energy infrastructure inside Russia.
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Emergency workers work at the site of Russian missile attacks, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the Kiev region on July 24, 2026. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters)
The downing of the drone came as Ukraine reported deadly Russian attacks in the Kiev region and Sloviansk.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said rescue operations were underway in the Kiev region after a Russian missile attack killed six people and injured dozens. Reuters later reported that Ukrainian officials and industry representatives said 10 people were killed and close to 100 were injured in the attack, where a defense industry event was being held.
“There were also casualties in Sloviansk following guided aerial bomb attacks,” Zelensky said. “Five people were killed. My condolences to their families. Nine others were injured. The Russians damaged civilian homes, the Consulate building and vehicles.”
Latvia’s Honorary Consulate building in Sloviansk, in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, was destroyed Friday morning in a Russian attack involving a KAB-250 guided aerial bomb, according to information provided by Ukrainian authorities, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Brzez said.
Latvia’s honorary consul, Oleksandr Pavenko, was not injured, but two embassy staff were injured, Brzez said. They informed EU and NATO foreign ministers and international organizations about the incident, while Latvia called Russia’s charge d’affaires and delivered a letter of protest.
Latvia’s Foreign Ministry said, “Russia will be held responsible for this and other violations of international law.” “All war crimes committed by Russia must be thoroughly investigated, and those responsible must be brought to justice.”
Zelensky called the attacks a “brutal attack on civilians” and again pressured Ukraine’s partners for air-defense support.
“Interceptors are the first priority for the Patriot system,” he said.
Ukraine also said its forces had attacked one of Russia’s major military enterprises in Kirov, which Zelensky said supplies components for Russian aircraft and missile systems used in attacks on Ukrainian cities. Zelensky said Ukraine also attacked an oil facility about 840 miles away and a campaign against Russian logistics supplying drone components, navigation equipment and military gear was continuing. Ukrainian outlet UNN reported that Zelensky confirmed the Kirov attack and the long-range strike on the oil facility.
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In this screen grab from a social media video, Ukrainian officials say smoke rises from the Wildberries facility after a drone strike in Shushary, Pushkinsky district of St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 24, 2026. (Via social media/Reuters)
The Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting on Ukraine at 10 a.m. Monday, as requested by Ukraine, according to a U.N. schedule seen by Fox News Digital. The meeting comes after Kiev repeatedly urged the international community to respond more forcefully to Russia’s attacks on civilians and infrastructure.
The back-and-forth comes as Kiev tries to show battlefield momentum despite continued Russian missile and drone attacks.
Outgoing Ukrainian commander in chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Ukraine had recaptured the 270 square mile area in 2026 and was handing over to his successor “an army that is not only defending but also offensive,” Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Fox News Digital contacted the Russian Defense Ministry but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Reuters contributed to this report.
