The Romanian Ministry of National Defence reported that Russian drones have entered the country’s airspace 33 times since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The most recent case was recorded on 26 July 2026.
According to the ministry, more than 100 attacks on Ukrainian territory near the Ukrainian-Romanian border were recorded during the same period. In 2026 alone, over 40 such attacks were counted. In response to these incidents, aircraft carrying out missions under NATO’s enhanced Air Policing operation took off 34 times.
In 2026, 18 unauthorised drone penetrations into Romanian airspace were recorded. In three cases, the drones were shot down by F-16 fighter jets of the Romanian Air Force. Fragments or complete drones were also found on Romanian territory about 50 times (16 times in 2026).
As a NATO and EU member, Romania has repeatedly stated that violations of its airspace — which is simultaneously NATO and European Union airspace — are unacceptable. President Nicușor Dan and other officials have stressed the need for such incidents to stop.