Recent NATO air policing operations along the eastern flank have produced multiple confirmed drone intercepts amid ongoing Russian strikes on Ukraine. On August 14, Italian Eurofighters operating under NATO command destroyed an unmanned aircraft that entered Latvian airspace, which Latvian forces linked to Russian electronic warfare. Two days later, a Spanish F/A-18 shot down a suspected Russian-origin drone over Romania—the fourth such Romanian incident in 2026—after radar detection near the Moldovan border. These events follow July intercepts by Romanian F-16s and reflect persistent spillover risks from cross-border drone activity, jamming, and proximity to conflict zones. With alliance fighters maintaining rapid-response posture through August 31 and no reported diplomatic shift reducing incursions, trader consensus prices in a strong likelihood of additional engagements before month-end.