Romanian F-16 fighter jets shoot down two drones over the Black Sea
Romanian defense officials announced that F-16 fighter jets shot down two drones, assessed to be of Russian origin, over Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea.
Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down two drones over the country's territorial waters on Saturday. Defense Minister Radu Miruta reported that the drones could be Russian-made Geran-4 turboprop drones flying at 450 kilometers per hour, marking the first time such vehicles have been shot down.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense announced that the drones entered Romanian waters in the Black Sea on Saturday at around 14:59 and 15:01. This development comes after two chemical tankers were hit by drones off the Black Sea coast. The attacks on tankers anchored near the Sulina Canal, which is on Ukraine's grain export route, continue to pose risks to commercial vessels on NATO's eastern flank.
The NATO Council is set to hold a meeting on Tuesday to address Black Sea defense and deterrence. Meanwhile, it was reported that a new drone fell into the border region in Moldova, Romania's northeastern neighbor, with no loss of life or damage, and experts have launched an investigation.