- Romanian lawmakers approved a bill allowing its military to shoot down drones over its airspace.
- The NATO country has seen Russian drones entering its territory, with some crashing on its land.
- Russia has targeted Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure near NATO’s borders.
Romania could start shooting down drones that enter its airspace after lawmakers approved a new bill on Wednesday.
The legislation allows Romania’s military to “destroy, neutralize, or take control of” unnamed aircraft illegally breaching its airspace.
It’s set to be signed into law by interim President Ilie Bolojan.
Romania, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, has seen regular incidents of Russian drones entering its airspace or crashing on its territory since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Last month, Romania’s defense ministry said that its investigation team had found Russian drone debris in two areas near its border with Ukraine.
Romania has also scrambled fighter jets in response to Russian drone activity. In July, two F-18 jets were dispatched after Russian drones attacked Ukrainian civilian targets and port infrastructure near their shared border.
In September, two Romanian F-16 fighter jets and two Spanish F-18 jets were also deployed after Russian drones targeted Ukrainian infrastructure nearby.
Drones have been a hallmark of the war in Ukraine, with both sides using the rapidly evolving technology to devastating effect. This has raised the alert level in nearby countries.
In an interview last year, Gheorghita Vlad, Romania’s defense chief, advocated for legal revisions to empower the military to shoot down drones.
Other countries neighboring Ukraine, including Poland and Latvia, have also reported Russian drones illegally entering their airspace.
NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah told BI in September that “shooting down drones or missiles violating Allied territory are decisions for national authorities.”
“We are strengthening Romania’s defense,” Mircea Abrudean, Romania’s interim Senate president, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
“Romania’s safety is non-negotiable,” he added.
Abrudean also said another law passed in the Senate on Wednesday would allow Romania’s military to better collaborate with NATO partners on its territory during peacetime missions and military operations.
