August 13, 2026
A roundup of national and international news.
Newsroom, 13.08.2026, 13:55
DRONE – An unmanned drone has been found in the sea off the resort of Costineşti, in south-eastern Romania, approximately 15 metres from the breakwater. Representatives of the relevant authorities – the Police, the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), the Coast Guard and the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations(ISU) – are at the scene. Last night, the radar surveillance system of Romania’s Ministry of National Defence detected a group of five aerial targets in the area of the Ukrainian town of Izmail, over Ukrainian territory and close to the river border with Romania. Two F-16 aircraft operated by the Romanian Air Force were scrambled to monitor the situation. Ground-based radars detected an aerial target entering Romanian national airspace. The target remained in Romanian airspace for approximately 10 minutes, flying along the Chilia branch of the Danube, before leaving Romanian territory for Ukraine. Shortly after it had exited Romanian airspace, explosions were reported on Ukrainian territory. The Ministry of National Defence is continuously monitoring the situation and keeping allied structures informed in real time of such incidents.
ENERGY – Unit 2 of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant, in south-eastern Romania, has been taken offline under controlled conditions as of this morning. The preventive measure was prompted by severe drought and an unprecedented decline in the flow of the Danube, which is affecting the reactor’s cooling capacity. Unit 1 had already been shut down on 28 July, while the two reactors had accounted for approximately 20% of Romania’s electricity generation. Taking Unit 2 offline represents a temporary loss of 700 MW of national electricity production. To cover the shortfall and maintain grid stability, the Ministry of Energy and the National Energy Dispatch Centre are considering a number of emergency measures. Over the next seven days, wind power generation is expected to average more than 500 MW. Authorities are also counting on Rovinari 4, a coal-fired unit operated by the Oltenia Energy Complex in southern Romania, which is currently held in reserve, as well as at least 300 MW from Hidroelectrica, the national leader in electricity generation. Meeting domestic consumption needs through imports is also being considered.
INFLATION – Mugur Isărescu, Governor of the National Bank of Romania, is presenting the bank’s quarterly Inflation Report today. According to a statement issued by the central bank, the annual inflation rate is expected to undergo a substantial downward correction in the third quarter of 2026, as the direct effects of the removal of the electricity price cap and increases in VAT rates and excise duties fade. Following a slightly fluctuating trajectory in the fourth quarter of this year, inflation is also expected to decline gradually. In the spring, the National Bank of Romania revised upwards its inflation forecast for the end of 2026 to 5.5%, while projecting a rate of 2.9% at the end of 2027.On Wednesday, the National Institute of Statistics reported an inflation rate of 8.16% for July, down from 10.42% in June. It was the first decline of such magnitude in the past 12 months.
NAVY DAY – Romanian Navy Day will be celebrated on 15 August in six cities – Constanţa, Mangalia, Brăila, Tulcea, Galaţi and Bucharest – the Romanian Naval Forces General Staff has announced. The centrepiece of the celebrations will be in Constanţa, Romania’s largest maritime port, along the seafront and in the maritime area in front of the Fleet Command headquarters, where more than 3,500 Romanian and foreign military personnel will take part in the military ceremony and the joint naval and inter-agency exercise. The maritime and coastal training sequences will involve more than 50 vessels and boats, 15 military and civilian aircraft, two armoured amphibious carriers and five artillery pieces, the Romanian Naval Forces said.
SWIMMING – Romanian swimmer David Popovici, an Olympic, world and European champion, won the gold medal in the 100m freestyle at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris on Wednesday evening, setting a new championship record of 46.56 seconds. He was followed by Russia’s Egor Kornev and Hungary’s Kristóf Milák. For Popovici, this is his third consecutive European title in the 100m freestyle, following his victories in 2022 and 2024. The Romanian will also compete in the 200m freestyle today, in the heats.
FOOTBALL – Romanian football champions Universitatea Craiova will face Finnish side KuPS Kuopio at home this evening in the decisive second leg of the Europa League third qualifying round. The first leg in Finland ended in a 1–1 draw. Should Universitatea Craiova progress past KuPS Kuopio, they will face Ararat-Armenia in the Europa League play-off round. Also today, CFR Cluj will travel to Norway to face Tromsø IL in the Conference League. The first leg in Cluj ended in a 5–0 victory for the Norwegian side. (EE)
