Romania shoots down three Russian drones, expels Russian diplomat

Romania Russian drones F‑16 intercept diplomatic expulsion NATO Article 4

On 24‑26 July 2026 three Russian‑made Shahed drones entered Romanian airspace and were shot down by Romanian F‑16 fighters, marking three downed drones in three consecutive days. The incidents raise the total number of drone incursions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to 33, with 18 penetrations recorded in 2026 and about 50 fragments recovered.

Romania responded by changing its rules of engagement to fire on any illegal intrusion, issuing RO‑Alert civil‑protection warnings for falling objects and scrambling additional F‑16s when drones were detected. The defence ministry presented drone fragments to the Russian ambassador as evidence.

Foreign Minister Oana Toiu summoned the Russian ambassador, expelled a Russian embassy staff member as persona non grata and gave him five days to leave the country. She also said Romania could invoke NATO’s Article 4 if the security situation required collective action. President Nicușor Dan called the violations “inadmissible and intolerable”.

NATO and EU officials expressed support for Romania’s right to defend its sovereign airspace and stressed the importance of deterrence on the Alliance’s eastern flank.

Entities: F‑16 fighter jet · NATO · Nicușor Dan · North Atlantic Treaty Organization · Oana Toiu · Romania · Romanian Air Force · Romanian Ministry of National Defence · Russia · Russian Federation · Russian Federation · Russian drone

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 9 SOURCES] President Nicușor Dan summoned Russia’s ambassador in Bucharest and issued a diplomatic protest. (Presidential office and foreign ministry announcements)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Each AIM‑9X missile used to shoot down a drone costs about $400,000, totalling $1.2 million for three drones. (Digi24 reporting)
[● 2 SOURCES] Two Romanian F‑16 fighter jets were scrambled to monitor the 27 July drone. (Romanian Ministry of National Defense)
[● 4 SOURCES] Romania passed a law in 2025 authorising the military to destroy drones that breach its airspace. (c29361b5-10ce-45dd-9d83-54bee9e4f088)
[● 2 SOURCES] The drone shot down on 24 July was identified as a Russian‑made Shahed model. (c29361b5-10ce-45dd-9d83-54bee9e4f088)
[● 5 SOURCES] Three Russian drones were shot down by Romanian F‑16s on 24, 25 and 26 July 2026. (c29361b5-10ce-45dd-9d83-54bee9e4f088, d9d3aa83-615d-403f-8734-d25dd10d7c6f, a0bd345c-15e0-45f5-8aaf-789b780a4a0e, 333b6e)
[● 4 SOURCES] Romania has recorded 33 incursions of Russian drones since the war began in 2022. (c29361b5-10ce-45dd-9d83-54bee9e4f088, f8a4afee-b511-4f21-b42b-02ede8a37555)
[● 2 SOURCES] A Russian drone entered Romanian airspace on 27 July 2026 before crossing into Ukraine. (Romanian Ministry of National Defense)
[● 4 SOURCES] Two Romanian F‑16 fighter jets were scrambled on 27 July 2026 to monitor a drone that briefly entered Romanian airspace.
[● 4 SOURCES] Romania has the option to invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty. (f4ff0260-b985-4695-b0a6-94b9395d1742, e043eceb-1f91-4981-b377-36945b379089, 56e27cc5-4e3d-4e87-b569-eeac30afaa63)
[● 6 SOURCES] Prosecutors confirmed that the downed drones were of Russian origin.
[● 8 SOURCES] Romania declared a Russian embassy staff member persona non grata and gave a five‑day deadline to leave the country. (existing)