NATO Spanish F-18 Shoots Down Russian Drone Over Romanian Airspace

A Spanish F-18 fighter jet on NATO air-policing duty shot down a drone that breached Romanian airspace near Galati, about 24km north of the city, after it entered from Moldovan airspace. NATO military spokesman Martin O'Donnell said the drone "appears to be Russian." This marked the fourth such airspace-incursion incident involving Romania in 2026, underscoring rising friction between Russian long-range strikes on Ukraine and NATO's eastern-flank air policing.