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A Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone that entered the country’s airspace without permission on Friday, marking the first time a NATO member intercepted and destroyed a drone in its national airspace, authorities said.
Romanian officials have not yet determined the origin and purpose of the drone. The head of the Romanian army said the pilots described it as a Shahed-type drone, Reuters reports, an Iranian-designed attack drone widely used by Russia against Ukraine.
The incident has direct implications for the US and its NATO allies, as repeated airspace violations along the alliance’s eastern flank have heightened fears that Russia’s war in Ukraine could spill over NATO borders. Romania, which borders Ukraine, has reported dozens of drone incursions or debris incidents since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Coiu said the interception took place in a deserted area of Buzau county.
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An F-16 fighter jet takes part in a NATO air defense exercise near an air base in Lask, central Poland, October 12, 2022. (Radoslaw Jozwiak/AFP via Getty Images)
“Our borders and our sovereignty are non-negotiable, and our military and NATO air police will continue to monitor the land border, the Danube and the Black Sea as our military frequently identifies risks,” Tsoiu told Fox News Digital.
“The impact area and drone debris are currently being analyzed, but the pattern is consistent with previously confirmed Russian drone flights during numerous illegal attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure on the border with Romania,” she added.
Shoiu said that Romania and NATO will continue to defend the union territory.
“NATO is working and we plan to become even stronger thanks to the decisions on air defense and budget allocation made at the Hague and Ankara summits,” she said. “The path to increased security is the path to peace on the border with Romania. We will protect our citizens and continue to invest in the defense of Romanian and Union territory.”
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The explosion followed what the Romanian Defense Ministry said was the detonation of Russian drone fragments found at a location listed as near the village of Racelu, Romania, in this screenshot taken from a handout video released on June 30, 2026. (Romanian Ministry of Defense/Handout via Reuters)
Shoiu previously told Fox News Digital on July 2 that Russian drones were detected inside Ukraine about 12 miles from the Romanian border, prompting two Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons flying from Romania’s 86th Air Base in Fetesti to scramble as part of an enhanced NATO air policing mission. An IAR 330 Puma helicopter from the Romanian Air Force was also involved, she said.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan and Defense Minister Radu Miruta reaffirmed the country’s commitment to protecting its airspace and investing in modern air defense and counter-drone capabilities, Shoiu said.
The incident underscores the growing danger on NATO’s eastern flank as Russia continues to launch attacks on Ukraine and Kyiv increasingly targets Russian military and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia.
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Emergency Situations Ministry employees work at the site of a Russian missile strike amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the Kyiv region, July 24, 2026. (Press service of the State Service of Ukraine for Emergency Situations/Handout via Reuters)
The downing of the drone came after Ukraine reported deadly Russian strikes in the Kyiv region and Slavyansk.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said a rescue operation was underway in the Kyiv region after a Russian missile attack killed six people and injured dozens more. Reuters later reported that Ukrainian officials and industry representatives said the strike at the site of a defense industry event had left 10 people dead and about 100 injured.
“There are also casualties in Slavyansk as a result of guided bomb attacks,” Zelensky said. “Five people were killed. My condolences to their families. Nine more people were injured. The Russians damaged ordinary houses, the consulate building and vehicles.”
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said the building of the Latvian honorary consulate in Slavyansk, Donetsk region of Ukraine, was destroyed on Friday morning as a result of a Russian attack using a KAB-250 guided bomb, according to information provided by Ukrainian authorities.
Braje said that Latvian Honorary Consul Alexander Pavenko was not injured, but two consulate employees were injured. She informed the foreign ministers of the European Union and NATO, as well as international organizations, about the incident, and Latvia summoned Russia’s charge d’affaires and presented a note of protest.
“Russia will be held accountable for this and other violations of international law,” the Latvian Foreign Ministry said. “All war crimes committed by Russia must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible must be brought to justice.”
Zelensky called the strikes “brutal attacks on civilians” and again demanded that Ukraine’s partners support air defense.
“Interceptors for Patriot systems are priority number one,” he said.
Ukraine also said its troops struck a key Russian military facility in Kirov, which Zelensky said supplies components for Russian aircraft and missile systems used in attacks on Ukrainian cities. Zelensky said Ukraine also struck an oil facility nearly 1,340 miles away and that operations against Russian logistics supplying drone components, navigation equipment and military equipment were continuing. The Ukrainian publication UNN reported that Zelensky confirmed a strike on Kirov and a long-range strike on an oil facility.
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Smoke rises from the Wildries facility, which Ukrainian authorities say was caused by a drone attack, in Shushary, Pushkinsky district, St. Petersburg, Russia, July 24, 2026. This screenshot is taken from a social media video. (Social Media/Via Reuters)
The Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting on Ukraine on Monday at 10 a.m. at Ukraine’s request, according to a U.N. schedule seen by Fox News Digital. The meeting came after Kyiv repeatedly called on the international community to respond more forcefully to Russian attacks on civilians and infrastructure.
The interaction comes as Kyiv tries to demonstrate the dynamics of the battle despite ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks.
Outgoing Ukrainian commander-in-chief Alexander Sirsky said Ukraine had retaken 270 square miles of territory in 2026 and was handing over to his successor “an army that is not only on the defensive but also on the offensive,” Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Fox News Digital contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Efrat (Effie) Lachter is an investigative journalist, film director and war correspondent. She has directed and produced over 200 documentaries in over 40 countries. A 2022 Perez Peace Center Award recipient, Lachter is also a 2023-2024 Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in political science.