The Romanian Senate has passed two bills that allow the shooting down of aircraft and the conducting of military operations in the country in peacetime.

The Romanian branch of Radio Svoboda reported on this.

78 senators supported the bill to control the use of national airspace, 11 voted against it, and 2 abstained.

The bill authorizing military operations on the territory of Romania without declaring a state of emergency received 80 votes in favor, 12 against, and 2 senators abstained.

“We are strengthening Romania’s defense! (…) The first law regulates the shooting down of unauthorized drones that violate Romanian airspace. The second law allows the Romanian army to cooperate more effectively with NATO partners on national territory, in military missions and peacetime operations,” Mircea Abrudean, the interim president of the Senate, wrote on Facebook.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense developed the initiative due to an existing legal gap in using the armed forces.

Previously, the Romanian army could not shoot down drones or missiles that violated airspace unless a state of emergency was declared in the country.

According to the adopted laws, NATO forces can also participate in measures to protect Romanian airspace in accordance with collective defense agreements.

Violation of Romanian airspace

At the end of December, it was reported that during the attack on Ukraine, one of the Russian missiles flew into Ukraine through Moldova and Romania.

The Russian cruise missile flew about 140 kilometers in the airspace of Moldova and Romania and reached its final trajectory in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine.

It traveled from the Yampil district in the Vinnytsia region to the Daraban area in Botoșani county, Romania.

In addition to cruise missiles, Shahed-type kamikaze drones have been spotted flying over Romania, some of which were lost there in addition to transit flights.

In July 2024, Romanian Foreign Minister Luminița Odobescu stated that fragments of Shahed drones, with which Russia attacked the Odesa region on the night of July 25, had been discovered.

On the same day, the media reported that the wreckage, probably belonging to Russian Shahed/Geran attack drones, was discovered near the village of Plauru. The military continues to inspect the area.

In September 2024, the Romanian Ministry of Defense reported that it was searching for new debris of Russian kamikaze drones due to a renewed increase in attacks on the border areas of Ukraine, as a result of which some drones fell into Romania.