Senate President Mircea Abrudean believes that Romania acted „responsibly” and „correctly” on Sunday, after its airspace was violated by a Russian drone.

„I had a reaction from the Minister of Defense. Romania acted responsibly until the end. The most important security guarantee for Romania remains NATO membership. Now, regarding the procedures, whether or not they had an order to fire, these are issues that also go beyond me and I avoid commenting on them. It is good for those who really know the subject to speak out, not for everyone to comment on issues that are sensitive and give rise to all kinds of speculation. The important thing is that Romania has the most important security guarantee – NATO membership. It acted correctly on this hybrid threat,” Abrudean said on Monday at the Senate.

A Geran drone used by the Russian Federation in attacks on Ukraine entered Romanian airspace on Saturday, at 6:05 p.m., and was intercepted by two F-16 fighter jets, which were carrying out an air patrol mission in northern Dobruja, the Ministry of Defense informs.

„The drone orbited for approximately 50 minutes, from NE of Chilia Veche to SW of Izmail, and left the national airspace near the town of Pardina, heading towards Ukraine. The F-16 aircraft had intermittent contact with the target, visually and by radar, tracking it throughout its evolution. The pilots received authorization to shoot down the target, but at the moments when they had direct contact, they assessed the collateral risks and decided not to open fire,” according to the MApN.

Defense Minister Ionuţ Moşteanu wrote on Facebook that the pilots had authorization to shoot down the drone, but they assessed the collateral risks and decided not to open fire.AGERPRES