Romania said one of its F-16 fighter jets shot down a drone after it entered the country’s airspace near the Black Sea. The incident is significant because it was reportedly Romania’s first such interception since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, underlining the risk that the war poses to neighbouring NATO territory.

The drone was detected by radar near Sulina, roughly 20 kilometres east of the coast, and was destroyed at 11:02 local time after moving over an uninhabited area. Officials had not confirmed its origin or purpose, although Romania’s military chief said it appeared to be a Shahed-type drone, an Iranian-designed model widely used by Russia; Romania shares a 650-kilometre border with Ukraine and has reported repeated drone incursions.