The Romanian Ministry of Defense, Radu Miruta, reported this Sunday that a Spanish fighter jet on a NATO air surveillance mission shot down a drone that had crossed its airspace near the border with Ukraine and Moldova.
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“At 04:44 hours, the target was detected entering Romanian national airspace, 24 kilometers north of Galati. At that moment, two Spanish F-18 fighter jets, which had already been put on alert as a precautionary measure, were authorized to intervene,” confirmed the Romanian leader in a post on his social networks.
He added that debris fell in an unpopulated area of the Galati region, between the towns of Baleni and Cudalbi, near the border with Moldova.
“Congratulations to the Spanish pilots and the Romanian military personnel at the command center for a successful mission! Romania is defending its airspace, and our allies are by our side. Surveillance, rapid response, and allied solidarity: these are the concrete guarantees of our security,” celebrated the Defense chief.
For its part, NATO has confirmed that a “Spanish F-18 fighter jet was mobilized and that it shot down a drone over Romanian airspace,” in the words of its spokesperson, Allison Hart, to Europa Press.
“The aircraft was operating under NATO command. An investigation is underway and NATO remains in close contact with Romanian authorities,” she added, while assuring that the Atlantic Alliance is ready to “respond to any potential threat, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in order to safeguard our territory and protect our population.”
Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has reported on X that he has spoken with his Romanian counterpart, Oana-Silvia, who thanked him for the intervention of the Spanish pilots.
Albares also defends that “Spain’s work and solidarity are key to Euro-Atlantic security.”
Romania, with 19 million inhabitants, shares a land border of about 614 kilometers with Ukraine and has become one of the countries most exposed to the consequences of the war.
Its eastern part, on the Black Sea, is near areas frequently attacked by Russian forces.
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