NATO fighter jet shoots down drone in Romania near border with Ukraine

Romania's defense ministry announced on Sunday that a Spanish F-18 fighter jet, deployed under NATO missions, shot down a drone within Romanian airspace. According to the official statement, the drone entered from Moldova and was intercepted early Sunday morning. The debris fell in an unpopulated area near the Ukrainian border. This incident follows a series of similar incursions into the airspace of countries neighboring Ukraine. Authorities frequently attribute these stray drones to electronic interference resulting from the war between Russia and Ukraine. In some instances, reports suggest that Ukrainian drones have been hijacked by Russian forces. Since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, Romania has repeatedly discovered drone fragments on its territory, often following Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports along the Danube River. Last month, Romania shot down a drone for the first time since the invasion began after it reached a point 60 miles from Bucharest.