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As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, Romanian President Nicusor Dan attended the Ukraine-South East Europe Summit in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 15 (local time) alongside other European leaders. / Reuters, Yonhap

Romania's Ministry of National Defense announced on July 26 (local time) that an F-16 fighter jet shot down a Russian drone over the Black Sea.

According to Reuters, as Russian drone incursions into Romanian airspace have continued in recent days, responses at both the government and NATO levels are intensifying.

Romania, which shares a nearly 650 km border with Ukraine, has faced ongoing threats from Russian drones since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Incursions have grown more frequent recently amid intensified Russian strikes on Ukrainian port facilities near the Danube River.

Data from the Romanian Ministry of National Defense shows that Russian drones have entered the country's airspace without authorization a total of 33 times over the past four years, including this latest incident.

Romanian military authorities stated that they shot down a total of three drones over three days starting on July 24. The drone downed on July 26 was destroyed in territorial airspace 12 km northeast of the coastal town of Sulina.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan declared on social media that the country would respond strictly to repeated violations of NATO and EU airspace, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to Romania to lodge a formal protest.

U.S. Army Colonel Martin O'Donnell of NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe said that an investigation into further details is underway, adding that the action was taken as part of efforts to strengthen ground-based air defense capabilities of alliance members.

Investigating authorities recovered fragments of a Shahed-type drone shot down on July 24, and search and investigation operations are ongoing for the remaining drone debris downed over the weekend, Reuters reported.

                                                                                                           Lee Jeong-eun