Bucharest protests repeated airspace violations as NATO allies watch closely
Romania has formally summoned Russia’s ambassador following the downing of a third drone in as many days, as the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine continues to spill across NATO’s eastern border. The Romanian Ministry of Defence reported that a military aircraft shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle that entered the country’s airspace on Sunday morning, July 26, 2026. That interception followed similar incidents on Friday and Saturday, marking an escalation in the frequency of incursions.
Foreign Minister Oana Toiu announced on social media that Bucharest had called in Russia’s ambassador to lodge a formal complaint over what she described as “repeated violations” of Romanian airspace. The move underscores growing unease among NATO members that Moscow’s campaign against Ukraine is increasingly testing the alliance’s defensive posture.
First interception and identification of the drone
Romania intercepted a Russian drone for the first time on Friday, July 24. President Nicusor Dan stated that an investigation determined that drone was a “Shahed model, used by the Russian Federation in its war of aggression against Ukraine.” An F-16 fighter jet then shot down another unmanned aircraft over the Black Sea on Sunday, according to the ministry.
The repeated entry of Russian drones into the airspace of Eastern European countries is widely interpreted as an attempt to probe NATO and European Union defenses and gauge reaction times. US Army Colonel Martin O’Donnell, a senior NATO military spokesperson, wrote on social media after Sunday’s incident: “It is unacceptable and intolerable for the Russian Federation to continue violating Romania’s airspace, which is also the airspace of NATO and the European Union.”
Broader pattern of incursions and regional impact
Romania, like other countries in the region, has faced frequent drone intrusions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In late May, a drone struck an apartment building in the Romanian city of Galati, injuring two people. That attack was the first time such a strike hit a populated area in a NATO country. Last month, a maritime drone exploded in Romania’s Constanta port.
The Baltic states have also reported repeated airspace violations in recent months. Those incursions contributed to the collapse of Latvia’s government in May, highlighting the political fallout that such security breaches can trigger within alliance member states.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said that Moscow’s “reckless behaviour is a danger to us all.” US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker has pledged that the alliance will “defend every inch” of its territory. Colonel O’Donnell noted that “NATO, Romania, and other nations [are actively acquiring] ground-based interceptors to enhance allied and national air defence capabilities.”
Ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine continue to target one another with heavy bombardments of drones and missiles. Ballistic missiles hit Kyiv and other cities overnight on Sunday, killing two people and wounding at least three. Russia’s Defence Ministry, which consistently insists it does not target civilians, said the attack on Kyiv struck sites linked to drone production.
In Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, authorities reported that a Ukrainian drone strike killed four civilians in the city of Horlivka. Ivan Prikhodko, the city’s Russian-appointed mayor, said the city came under fire in the early hours of Sunday. Russia’s Defence Ministry also stated that overnight it shot down 133 Ukrainian drones over Russia, the Black Sea, and Crimea.
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‘Unacceptable and intolerable’