Nicusor Dan reports Romania successfully intercepted a Russian drone for the first time since the start of the Ukraine war.

Nicusor Dan, the President of Romania, confirmed that a Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone that breached the country's airspace on Friday. This marked the first successful interception by the NATO member state since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. The drone, which was identified by pilots as a Shahed-type aircraft, was downed over an uninhabited area near the village of Padina. The Romanian defence ministry reported that radar first detected the drone approximately 12 miles east of the Black Sea port of Sulina. While the specific origin of the drone is still under investigation, military officials noted that Russia is the primary suspect given the region's history of incursions. The incident highlights growing concerns regarding Russia's "reckless behaviour" and the potential for the conflict to spill over into neighboring NATO territories. Romania has recorded dozens of drone breaches since 2022, including a notable strike in May that injured two people in the town of Galati.

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