Main image: Romanian Ministry of National Defence (MApN)
The Romanian Armed Forces are now fully authorized to shoot down unidentified drones violating the country’s airspace, even in peacetime.
This comes 1 year, 8 months, and 16 days after the night of September 3–4, 2023, when a Russian long-range kamikaze drone of the Shahed-136 type exploded on Romanian territory for the first time. Since then, such incidents have occurred systematically, with drones sometimes crashing and exploding near the city of 200,000 inhabitants.
However, only now have the legislative amendments been published and entered into force, signed by acting president Ilie Bolojan, Defense Romania reports. This became possible after the country’s Constitutional Court rejected complaints from opposition parties Alianța pentru Unirea Românilor (AUR), S.O.S. România, and Partidul Oamenilor Tineri (POT).
It is worth noting that since September 2023, there have been 12 officially confirmed cases of Russian drones falling on Romanian territory, according to the Romanian Ministry of Defense. The response from Romanian officials followed a typical pattern: initially denying the incident, and only acknowledging it a few days later.
In the meantime, authorities even built makeshift shelters for civilians in the most dangerous areas. But now, it appears that Romanian forces can finally begin protecting their citizens by intercepting Russian drones over their own territory.
Romania has sufficient means to defend its border against attacks by Russian long-range drones, particularly due to the presence of 41 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems, which have proven to be highly effective and cost-efficient in eliminating such targets.
