Romanian F-16s shoot down drones over Romania on three consecutive days (24–26 July)

On 24 July 2026 a drone detected 20 km east of Sulina flew a Sulina–Brăila–Fetești–Buzău track, and a Romanian F-16 shot it down with an air-to-air missile at 11:02 over Padina, Buzău county, after Italian Typhoons on NATO air policing had been scrambled to monitor it. Romanian F-16s downed further drones on 25 July, about 10 km west-northwest of Sfântu Gheorghe in Tulcea county, and on 26 July at 10:13, 12 km northeast of Sulina in Romanian territorial waters. Prosecutors identified the 24 July drone as Shahed-type and confirmed its components were of Russian origin.

Established by. MAE, 27 July 2026, on summoning Ambassador Vladimir Lipaev over the 24–26 July violations: "the Russian Federation bears exclusive responsibility for all these grave incidents"; Lipaev was shown fragments of the Buzău drone, which prosecutors confirmed are of Russian origin. Acting FM Oana Țoiu (X): the Russian side "learned what they already knew: the drones downed on Romanian territory belong to them." President Nicușor Dan, 26 July: "drona doborâtă vineri dimineață este de tip Shahed, utilizată de Federația Rusă". MApN Press Release No. 150 (27 July) cites the Ploiești Court of Appeal prosecutors: "it was a Shahed-type drone".

Latest. On 27 July 2026 Romania declared a member of the Russian Embassy undesirable (five days to leave) and recalled its ambassador from Moscow for consultations; on 27 August Russia reciprocated by expelling a staff member of Romania's Embassy in Moscow. On 16 August a Spanish F-18 on NATO air policing shot down a fourth drone that entered from the direction of Moldova, about 24 km north of Galați (MApN Press Release No. 164); Moldova's defence ministry identified it as a Shahed 138 (Geran-2). Latest official MApN figures found (26 July 2026): 18 unauthorised drone incursions and 3 shoot-downs in 2026, and 33 Russian drone incursions since the start of the war.

Link to the war against Ukraine. MApN states the drones entered during attacks by "the Russian Federation against the civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine" near the Danube border.