Estonia's Foreign Minister Responded to the Downing of a Drone in Romania
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna commented on the downing of a drone that violated Romanian airspace.
According to the Estonian minister, NATO demonstrated its readiness and ability to defend every inch of the Alliance’s territory when an F-18 fighter jet shot down a drone over Romania.
“At the same time, the threat to NATO will persist as long as Russia continues its war against Ukraine,” Tsahkna emphasized.
He also called for strengthening military, economic, and political support for Ukraine, while simultaneously increasing pressure on Russia.
“That is precisely why we must provide Ukraine with strong military, economic, and political support, while simultaneously increasing pressure on Russia to end its war of aggression and to ensure a just and lasting peace,” the Estonian foreign minister noted.
On the night of August 16, Romanian surveillance systems detected an aerial target that entered the country’s airspace from the direction of Moldova. The drone was located approximately 24 km north of Galați.
A Spanish F-18, which was conducting a NATO air patrol mission, established radar contact with the target and received authorization to shoot it down. The drone was shot down at 5:01 a.m., and its debris fell in an uninhabited area.
According to NATO, the drone is preliminarily believed to be of Russian origin, though an investigation into its origin is ongoing.
This marks the fourth time in 2026 that a drone violating Romania’s airspace has been shot down over the country.
Tsakhna wrote about this on the social media platform X.
On the night of August 16, a Spanish F-18 fighter jet shot down an unidentified drone that had entered Romanian airspace. The aircraft was conducting an air patrol as part of a NATO mission.
The drone that the Spanish F-18 fighter jet shot down in Romanian airspace was likely of Russian origin.
As a reminder, on Sunday, August 2, air raid sirens were sounded for the civilian population in eastern Romania for the second time that day. The country’s Ministry of Defense radar surveillance system detected an aerial target near the river border with Ukraine at 3:09 p.m.
