Romanian President signs law allowing military to shoot down Russian drones

Romania’s interim president, Ilie Bolojan, has signed a law that expands the army’s powers and allows it to shoot down UAVs that are illegally in the country’s airspace.

As reported by Digi24, Ilie Bolojan signed a law passed by the parliament that allows shooting down drones that are illegally in Romanian airspace, as well as a law on military missions and operations in Romania in peacetime.

The elaboration of the law began after a series of incidents in which Russian attack drones used to attack the south of Ukraine’s Odesa region flew into Romania’s airspace. It was finally approved by parliament in February 2025.

The adopted law stipulates that drones that illegally cross the Romanian state border and fly in the national airspace without permission “may be destroyed, neutralized, or taken under control.”

The Romanian far-right, a pro-Russian influence actor, challenged the law in the Constitutional Court but lost.

In March, Romania confirmed another downing of a Russian drone on its territory, in the border area near Ukrainian Reni.

In 2024, the wreckage of attack drones used by Russia to attack the southern regions of Ukraine had been repeatedly found in the border area on the Romanian bank of the Danube.

On March 29, the wreckage of a Russian drone similar to a Shahed (Geranium-2) was found 8 kilometers from the large Romanian city of Braila, which is located more than 20 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. It is reported that the drone wreckage was found on agricultural land on an island along the Danube River.

On July 25, 2024, the wreckage of Shahed-type attack drones used by Russia to attack the Odesa region was found in Romania. Near the village of Plauru, wreckage was found that probably belonged to Russian Shahed/Geranium attack drones.

On the night of July 25, one Shahed flew 11 kilometers into Romanian territory during an attack on the Ukrainian town of Vilkovo.

On September 9, 2024, the wreckage of a Russian war drone was spotted in the Romanian county of Tulcea, near the Ukrainian border.

The Romanian authorities also “strongly condemned these attacks carried out by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian civilian objects and infrastructure.”

NATO called Russia’s violation of Romanian airspace potentially dangerous but did not recognize the appearance of Russian drones in the skies over the country as a deliberate attack.