Bucharest, August 16 (QNA) - Romania's Defense Ministry said on Saturday that a fighter jet taking part in a NATO mission had shot down a drone that illegally entered Romanian airspace.

The ministry said in a statement that an F-18 fighter engaged in the NATO mission intercepted and shot down the drone. It added that the incident was still under investigation, but the aircraft appeared to be Russian.

The ministry did not identify the drone's point of origin, saying only that Romanian radar detected it entering the country's airspace from neighboring Moldova, about 24 km north of the southeastern city of Galati.

Romania said in July that it had shot down three drones believed to be Russian after they entered its airspace. In May, a drone crashed into a residential building in Galati, injuring two people.

A NATO member, Romania shares a 614-km land border with Ukraine and has reported repeated airspace violations by drones believed to be Russian over the past four years. (QNA)