EUROPE / FOREIGN DRONE EVENTS

Shot down · Romania

Romanian fighter downs drone reported as Russian over Tulcea coast

· Tulcea coastal sector

Reported foreign

On 25 July 2026 a drone (UAV) made a brief incursion into Romanian airspace over the Sfântu Gheorghe and Tulcea coastal sector and was destroyed by a Romanian fighter jet. It had made a short entry from the operational area of the war in Ukraine. Fragments were sought afterwards.

The drone was reported as Russian. Its model and payload were under investigation, and its technical identification had not been completed in contemporary accounts.

No casualties were reported.

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Image from the Wikipedia (original report source) report: 2026 drone incidents in Romania
Image · Wikipedia (original report source) · Open report ↗
Live pictures from the Danube Delta area where the second drone was shot down, beside an F-16 image.
Video · Antena 3 CNN · Open report ↗Additional coverage, not one of the register’s sources.
A Romanian F-16 in flight in Observator coverage of the drone shot down near Sfântu Gheorghe.
Video · Observator (Antena 1) · Open report ↗Additional coverage, not one of the register’s sources.

Attribution and uncertainty

Origin / operator / attribution
Reported Russian; detailed model/payload under investigation
Investigation / uncertainty
Technical identification under investigation in contemporary account.

Sources · 2

  1. Reuters ↗Third Russian drone downed by Romania in three days, 26 July 2026
  2. Wikipedia (original report source) ↗2026 drone incidents in Romania

Full record

Shot downFlight

Map positions are approximate anchors for the named place, not verified incident coordinates.

Reported date
2026-07-25
Date basis
25 July; EEST
Location / jurisdiction
Sfântu Gheorghe/Tulcea coastal sector; EU airspace
Event categories
Brief incursion; fighter shoot-down
What was reported
Second consecutive day of a Romanian kinetic interception.
Aircraft / vessel / quantity
1 UAV
Origin / operator / attribution
Reported Russian; detailed model/payload under investigation
Damage / casualties / disruption
No casualties reported
Response / outcome
Romanian fighter destroyed drone; fragments sought.
Investigation / uncertainty
Technical identification under investigation in contemporary account.
Route / entry mechanism
Short entry from Ukraine-war operational area
Explosive payload
Not reported
Counting / links
Separate vehicle/day from E035 and E037.
Research provenance
Prior research; not independently rechecked in full for this export

Record E036. Record fields keep the register’s original wording.