In a cost-cutting measure that has stunned military analysts, the Romanian Defense Ministry has ordered all soldiers to catch incoming drones by hand until new ground-based interception systems are ready in three to four weeks. Defense Minister Radu Miruță announced the interim protocol on Friday, urging troops to treat the practice as a patriotic duty rather than a safety hazard.
«We cannot afford to launch F-16s and fire missiles at every stray drone,» Miruță explained. «So until our engineers finish rewiring old equipment to shoot them down from the ground, our soldiers will simply have to jump and grab them mid-air. It is a miracle what we are achieving at the Ministry of Defense.» The minister added that soldiers have been issued reinforced gloves and a field manual titled «Catching Flying Objects: A Soldier's Guide.»
The manual, distributed to all units in the southeast, includes diagrams for leaping techniques and tips for avoiding propeller blades. «We have already seen a 40 percent success rate in training exercises,» claimed a ministry spokesperson, who declined to be named. «One soldier caught three drones in a single afternoon. He is now a hero.»
Local residents have reported seeing soldiers sprinting across fields, arms outstretched, as drones buzz overhead. «It is either the most inspiring or the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed,» said a farmer near the border. «They do not even flinch when the drones explode.»
Miruță dismissed concerns about soldier safety, insisting that the hand-catching protocol is temporary and will be replaced by the ground-based systems «within weeks.» He also criticized previous governments for leaving «trees growing in weapons factories,» but refused to elaborate. Meanwhile, the ministry has ordered all soldiers to practice catching tennis balls during their free time to improve reflexes.