A Romanian fighter jet has downed a drone believed to be of Russian origin after it entered the country’s airspace.

The episode on Friday was the first time Romania has intercepted an unauthorized aircraft since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Nicusor Dan said.

The development has heightened concerns that the war in neighboring Ukraine could further spill into NATO territory. Romania is among several alliance members that have faced repeated drone intrusions in recent months, as both Russian and Ukrainian forces deploy hundreds of unmanned aircraft each day.

According to Dan, a Romanian F-16 fighter jet fired on the drone shortly after it crossed into national airspace. He noted that the aircraft was brought down over an uninhabited area.

A Romanian military official indicated that Russia was the likely source of the drone, pointing to previous incidents with similar flight paths in the region.

The Ministry of National Defence reported that radar systems initially detected the drone roughly 20km (12 miles) east of the Black Sea port of Sulina. It then entered Romanian airspace, flying over Braila, Fetesti and Buzau county.

Two Italian Eurofighter Typhoon jets, stationed in Romania as part of NATO’s air policing mission, responded alongside two Romanian F-16s. One of the Romanian jets launched an air-to-air missile, successfully striking the drone over a sparsely populated area near the village of Padina. Authorities confirmed that no injuries or damage were reported.

Romania, which is both a member of the European Union and NATO and shares a border with Ukraine, has documented dozens of drone incursions since the start of the war. This was the first time Romanian forces have managed to shoot one down.

In late May, a drone hit a residential building in the city of Galati, wounding two people. It marked the first instance of a drone strike affecting a populated area within a NATO country.

Officials from NATO and the European Union condemned the latest incident. The European Commission stated that the event demonstrated how Russia’s war had “crossed yet another line”.

About a month after the Galati strike, a Ukrainian sea drone detonated at the port of Constanta. Ukrainian authorities said the vessel had been launched by Kyiv but was diverted off course due to Russian electronic interference.

Other NATO members in the Baltic region have also reported repeated airspace breaches in recent months, incidents that have fueled political tensions, including contributing to the fall of Latvia’s government in May.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has described Moscow’s “reckless behaviour” as a threat to all member states. The United States ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, reaffirmed that the alliance remains committed to defending every part of its territory.