A Russian drone that struck an apartment building in the Romanian border city of Galati on Friday changed its trajectory after being intercepted by Ukrainian air defense units. Romanian President Nicušor Dan informed about this on Friday, the British station BBC reported, writes TASR.
- A Russian drone hit an apartment building in the Romanian border town of Galati.
- The trajectory of the drone changed after the Ukrainian air defense hit Reni.
Dan explained in an interview with journalists that “when (the drones) were flying over Ukrainian territory, some of them were shot down. One of them was probably hit over the city of Reni, changed its trajectory and headed towards (the city of) Galati.”
Drone strike
Asked to clarify whether this change in trajectory was accidental or intentional, Dan replied that it was a “kinetic strike,” stressing that the responsibility in this situation “clearly lies with Russia.”
Dan also reported that the condition of the two injured – a 53-year-old woman and her 14-year-old son – is not serious. “The patients have burns, but they will be fine within a week. It is not very serious,” the Romanian president said. He also informed that the drone that hit the apartment building was carrying at least 30 kilograms of explosives.
Necessary investments in defense
According to Dan, this incident confirms the need for further investment in defense against drones. “We cannot be a NATO member state and not invest in defense – we must be ready,” he emphasized.
Romania’s president believes that Europe as a whole faces a lack of modern air defense systems against drones, and the war in Ukraine is forcing NATO and EU countries to accelerate adaptation to new threats. According to Dan, Romania has already raised the issue of strengthening anti-aircraft and anti-drone defense also at the NATO level.
Cooperation between Ukraine and Romania
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi spoke to the Romanian President by phone. In a joint conversation, they agreed that Ukraine will support Romania and its teams, soldiers and experts will work to strengthen the protection of Romanian airspace. He added that the Ukrainian army was in contact with the Romanian side on Friday night and the leaders of the countries discussed further coordination.
“We will be in constant communication with Romania and we will continue to work together to protect lives from all potential Russian threats,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
