NATO member Romania scrambles F-16 fighter jets to destroy drone near critical European gas project

A General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon of the Romanian Air Force participates in the Tactical Leadership Programme in Albacete, Spain, on September 24, 2024. Joan Valls | Urbanandsport | Getty ImagesRomania's president has accused Russia of deploying a marine drone that its military destroyed on Thursday after it was spotted close to a major natural gas development. The development marks yet another incident in which Russia's war in Ukraine has potentially spilled beyond the country's borders, underscoring risk to critical infrastructure.In a series of Facebook posts, Romanian defense minister Radu-Dinel Miruţă said F-16 fighter jets destroyed a marine drone in the vicinity of the Neptun Deep gas project in the Black Sea on Thursday.Once developed, Neptun Deep will make Romania the largest natural gas producer in the European Union. Located around 99 miles off the coast, the platform is expected to begin producing gas in 2027. European energy prices rose drastically in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as Western governments slapped Moscow with sanctions and looked for alternative sources of oil and gas. Miruţă said Thursday that the Romanian Coast Guard...