Romania enacts law empowering military to neutralize unauthorized drones breaching national airspace

As of May 19, 2025, Romania's interim President Ilie Bolojan has authorized the military to shoot down unauthorized drones entering the country's airspace.

This decision follows the approval of the necessary legislation by the Romanian parliament in February 2025, which grants the military the authority to neutralize or destroy unauthorized aerial vehicles, including drones, based on assessed threat levels and risks to human life and property.

The legislation outlines specific protocols for dealing with both piloted and unmanned aircraft. For piloted vehicles, the measures include establishing the aircraft's position and identity, attempting contact, interception, and warning shots, with destruction as a last resort if the aircraft conducts an attack or responds aggressively. For unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the military may destroy, neutralize, or take control of the drone, depending on the assessed threat level.

The law also allows for the participation of allied systems present in Romania, in accordance with collective defense treaties with NATO and EU member states.

This legislative action comes in response to multiple incidents where Russian drones have breached Romanian airspace, with fragments found on Romanian territory during attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.
 

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