Romania’s Defense Ministry proposes to shoot down drones that violate country’s airspace

The Romanian Ministry of Defense has prepared a draft law that allows shooting down drones that violate the country’s airspace. This was reported by Reuters.

The day before, Romania submitted the draft law for public discussion, outlining specific conditions for controlling the use of its airspace by both manned and unmanned aircraft.

“Military operations in the Black Sea and the massive increase in the use of UAVs, both military and adapted for military purposes, continue to pose serious risks on the border with Ukraine and near the border with Romania,” the document says.

The Romanian defense ministry noted that the search for a common approach to drones and “measures to counteract the risks” continues at the EU level.

The proposed measures are gradual: from locating and identifying the aircraft to attempting contact, interception, and warning shots.

Only an attack or an aggressive reaction to interception can destroy manned aircraft flying without authorization.

Depending on the level of threat, the Romanian military can destroy, neutralize, or seize control of unmanned aerial vehicles. Destruction is a last resort.

According to the proposed law, allied systems stationed in Romania can also participate in any actions in accordance with collective defense treaties with NATO and EU members.

The border area on the Romanian side of the Danube has repeatedly revealed the wreckage of attack drones used by Russia to attack Ukrainian ports.

After Russian attack drones violated the airspace of Romania, a NATO member state, there were calls to shoot them down. However, so far there has been no decision or decisive action in this direction, neither from Bucharest nor from the Alliance. 

Over the past two months, Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, including Odesa and Ukrainian ports near the Romanian border, have been occurring almost daily. Simultaneously, the depletion of Ukrainian air defense forces, bolstered by Western air defense systems, leaves them insufficient to fend off all attacks.

On September 29, the North Atlantic Alliance began additional surveillance of Romanian airspace by deploying another Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.