Nicusor Dan reports that a Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a Russian drone over the Black Sea.
Nicusor Dan reported that a Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone over the country's territorial waters in the Sulina-Kiliya area. This marks the third drone intercepted by the Romanian military in as many days. According to an investigation by the General Prosecutor's Office, the drone shot down on July 24 was a Shahed model used by the Russian Federation in its war of aggression against Ukraine. The Romanian government is summoning the Russian ambassador to protest the repeated violations of its airspace. Nicusor Dan stated that it is unacceptable and intolerable for the Russian Federation to continue violating Romanian airspace, which also serves as the airspace for Nato and the European Union. While investigations into the drones shot down on Saturday and Sunday continue, Romania has integrated a US-made Merops counter-drone system to improve its air defenses. The country's parliament recently adopted a law allowing for drones that breach its airspace to be shot down.