Russian drone in Romania and reaction Ministry of Defense

On September 13, 2025, Romania’s Ministry of Defense reported an unwelcome visitor in its skies: a Russian drone in Romania. It was a so-called “Geran”, the name Moscow gives to the Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones that have already terrorized cities across Ukraine.

The drone drifted across the northern regions of the country, buzzing for nearly an hour along the Danube’s branches, giving local authorities plenty of time to scramble jets and track its every move.

According to Romanian media, at 18:12, authorities declared an air alert in the northern regions of Romania. They did this because of the threat posed by attack drones. Two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force scrambled immediately.

On Sunday, September 14, the Romanian Defense Ministry’s press service stated:

Such incidents demonstrate the Russian Federation’s disregard for the norms of international law and endanger not only the safety of Romanian citizens but also NATO’s collective security.

Romania Scrambles Jets

The Russian Shahed-136 flew through Romanian airspace from the northeast to the southwest for about 50 minutes. It followed one of the Danube’s branches, which marks the natural border between Romania and Ukraine. However, near the Romanian village of Pardina, the drone turned toward Ukraine and left Romanian airspace. In response to the drone’s incursion, two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to escort it. Two German Eurofighter Typhoon jets were also on standby to support the UAV monitoring operation.

Interestingly, in July of this year, the Romanian Parliament passed a decision allowing the country’s military to shoot down drones illegally entering national airspace without a formal declaration of war. This came after the Romania’s military leadership complained they didn’t have a proper legal excuse to swat down these “flying gifts from Moscow.”

And yes — there have been plenty of previous cases where Russian drones nosedived into Romanian territory near the Danube Delta, including incidents involving the detonation of their warheads.

Pilots Could Have Shot It Down

A Romanian defense official said pilots had clearance to shoot down the drone. However, they chose not to do so “in order to avoid collateral risks.” Earlier, the ministry had emphasized that the drone which entered Romanian airspace posed no threat.

The Russian ambassador visited the Romanian Foreign Ministry on September 14. Officials summoned him to protest the latest Russian drone in Romania. Romania made it perfectly clear: they would respond to airspace violations… with words only.