Russian tensions flare as Romania downs drones in NATO airspace

The NATO member shot down three Russian drones. 20:06, Sun, Jul 26, 2026 Updated: 20:12, Sun, Jul 26, 2026 The incursions come as Russia launches assaults on Ukrainian cities (Image: Getty)Romania has shot down a third Russian drone over its airspace as the government labelled the incursion “intolerable”. The country’s defence ministry said its forces “safely shot down” a drone that breached its air space in an “unpopulated area” near the Ukrainian border.The drone was “shot down by a Romanian pilot from an F-16 aircraft,” President Nicușor Dan said. Mr Dan labelled the latest breach “inadmissible and intolerable” whilst NATO said the incident is under investigation. Saturday’s interception came after a drone was shot down around Padina, north east of the Romanian capital Bucharest, on Fri