Two Romanian F-16s shot down two jet-powered Russian Geran attack drones over Romania’s territorial waters near Sulina on the evening of 17 October, Romania’s Defense Ministry said. The ministry released cockpit images of the mission the next day, as NATO allies prepare to discuss Black Sea security at a special session Romania requested.
This comes as Moscow continues its air attacks on Ukraine, while the US is trying to make deals with Russia over its diesel and lift sanctions. Russia keeps striking Ukraine’s energy system and cities, while its drones and suspected saboteurs keep turning up inside NATO, from tankers hit off Romania to a foiled arson attempt at a Starlink site in Lithuania.
Down within minutes
The F-16s took off from the 86th Air Base at Borcea at 17:43 after radar detected a group of air targets about 120 km east of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, flying southwest, Ukrainian military outlet Militarnyi reported, citing the ministry. The first drone entered Romanian airspace at 17:59 and was shot down at 18:01 southeast of Sulina. The second entered at 18:01 and was downed at 18:05 east of Sulina.
Where Romanian radar detected two drones, about 120 km east of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, and where Romanian F-16s shot them down over Romania’s territorial waters near Sulina, 17 October 2026. Map: Euromaidan Press
Both were jet-powered attack drones of the Geran family, the ministry said. The Geran is Russia’s version of the Iranian-designed Shahed. When first detected, the drones were about 65 km from the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea and 140 km from the Ukrainian-held shore, and their southwest course may point to Russian origin, Militarnyi calculated.
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The ministry posted the cockpit images on 18 October, showing a missile launch and a fireball over the sea. “Targets spotted, identified, engaged and neutralized!” it wrote.
A fireball over the Black Sea seen from the cockpit of a Romanian F-16 during the mission to shoot down two drones near Sulina, 17 October 2026. Photo: Romanian Defense Ministry/Facebook
Allies to meet on the Black Sea
A special session of the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s top decision-making body, will discuss defense and deterrence in the Black Sea on 20 October at Romania’s request. Romanian President Nicușor Dan has confirmed that the two tankers that caught fire near Sulina last week were hit by drones, and a NATO military source told Reuters they were Russian.
Romanian radar has logged 54 drone intrusions into the country’s air and sea space since Russia’s full-scale invasion, 35 of them this year, and the military has shot down six such targets in 2026, Defense Ministry data show.
A Romanian Air Force F-16AM/BM Block 15. Illustrative photo: via Militarnyi
Searches in Poland and Lithuania
Within hours, Poland’s Operational Command said it was checking a possible airspace violation by an unknown object overnight into 18 October. Troops, police, and military police searched for a possible crash site south of Lublin after residents reported the loud sound of a flying object around 02:00, Militarnyi reported.
On the morning of 18 October, an unknown drone entered Lithuania’s airspace and triggered air raid alerts, the country’s crisis management center said. NATO jets accompanied it but could not shoot it down because of bad weather, Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said. Debris preliminarily identified as drone parts was later found in the village of Juodžioniai in Pasvalys district, and the army said the drone may have entered from the direction of Poland.
Romania moved from escorting Russia’s stray drones to firing on them in July, when its F-16s downed three in 72 hours.
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The Real News Network launches English-language Brazilian reporting project ahead of pivotal election
Panamerican Dispatch is a new journalism project created in September 2026 to produce and distribute news and analysis from Latin America, within the United States.
Brazilians are heading to the polls. The stakes for the region could not be higher.
U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed attention on Latin America as not seen in decades. There are major concerns for the future of democracy across Latin America and the legitimacy of upcoming elections in the region.
“Panamerican Dispatch is an essential site to learn about Latin American events from perspectives that go beyond the talking heads of mainstream media venues,” said Rafael Ioris, a Brazilian Latin American history professor at the University of Denver. “This is even more valuable in today’s changing and concerning landscape of the Western hemisphere.”
Most of the content published on Panamerican Dispatch is translated from other languages into English and is available free at www.panamericandispatch.org.
“In this era of mega-mergers and relentless corporate media consolidation, it’s refreshing and exciting to see an independent initiative like Panamerican Dispatch take shape, bringing us incisive and compelling reporting from a diverse group of fiercely independent journalists on the ground in Latin America,” said Alexander Main, the Director of International Policy at the Center for International and Policy Research.
Panamerican Dispatch is a project of The Real News Network, in partnership with Global Exchange.
Brazil-based journalist Michael Fox is leading the initiative. He has reported extensively across the region for PRX’s The World, DW, The Nation, Business Insider, The Intercept, AJ+, TRT World, The Real News Network, and numerous other outlets. He is a former editor of NACLA’s Report on the Americas. More recently, he is the producer and host of numerous podcasts, including Brazil on Fire and Under the Shadow. His most recent episode of Under the Shadow looks at U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempt to impact the vote in Brazil.
Michael Fox will be covering the elections from the streets of Brazil.
About The Real News Network
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