BUCHAREST, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down two drones over the country’s territorial waters on Saturday, the defence ministry said.
Defence Minister Radu Miruta said on Sunday the drones were likely latest generation Russian drones, flying at speeds similar to fighter jets.
“The ones from last night were flying at 450 km/h, which leads us to think they were Russian-made Geran-4 drones with a turboprop engine,” Miruta said. “This is the first time we’ve shot down drones like these.”
The drones were brought down days after two chemical tankers were hit by drones near Romania’s Black Sea coast, the latest in a series of attacks highlighting risks to commercial shipping on NATO’s eastern flank.
Both vessels were anchored near the Sulina Canal, which links the Danube River to the Black Sea and is an export route for Ukraine.
NATO member Romania shares a 614-km (381-mile) border with Ukraine, much of it along the Danube, and has repeatedly reported Russian drone incursions into its airspace since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Romania started shooting down drones that enter its space earlier this year.
The defence ministry said the two drones entered Romanian waters in the Black Sea on Saturday at 1459 GMT and 1501 GMT, respectively.
“NATO is ready and able to react to any potential threat, 24/7, to safeguard our territory and protect our people,” a NATO official told Reuters.
Romania’s Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said the North Atlantic Council will have a meeting on Tuesday to discuss Black Sea defence and deterrence.
The two tankers struck earlier this week were hit by Russian drones, a NATO military source told Reuters. Romanian officials are still searching for seven missing crew members.
At least five other cargo ships have been hit near the coasts of Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria in the past two weeks, with 23 sailors reported dead or missing. Most of those incidents occurred outside NATO territorial waters.
In Moldova, on Romania’s northeast border, officials said a new drone had crashed in a northern district, near the border with Ukraine. Officials said there were no casualties or damage and specialists were trying to determine the drone’s origin.
Five drones identified as Russian fell on Moldovan territory in a little more than 17 hours on Thursday and Friday, prompting the foreign ministry to issue a statement denouncing Russian actions.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie in Bucharest, Alexander Tanas in Chisinau, Lili Bayer in Brussels; Editing by Mark Potter, Timothy Heritage and Ron Popeski)
