- A Russian drone hit a residential building in the Romanian city of Galati at night.
- A fire broke out when the drone hit, two people suffered minor injuries.
- Romania described the incident as a serious escalation and is requesting anti-drone assistance.
Romania’s Foreign Ministry accused Russia, whose drone hit a residential building in Galati on Friday night, of irresponsible escalation. At the same time, it called on NATO to speed up the transfer of anti-drone defense equipment to Romania. This was reported by the AFP agency, writes TASR.
One of the drones deployed by Russia during night attacks against Ukraine flew into Romanian airspace. In the city of Galati near the border with Ukraine, a drone crashed into the roof of an apartment building, causing a fire. Two people suffered minor injuries. The police and other security forces also intervened on the spot.
“This incident is a serious and irresponsible escalation of the situation by the Russian Federation,” said the Department of Romanian Diplomacy. The ministry added that it had already informed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about the incident and asked to “accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania.”
According to the AFP agency, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was the first time that a residential building was hit on the territory of Romania. Rescue services on the Facebook social network reported that the drone hit a tenth-floor apartment, detonating its entire load of explosives. Approximately 70 people were evacuated. The fire was extinguished in the meantime.
Due to the incident, the Romanian armed forces also sent two F-16 fighters and a helicopter into the air, which were authorized to shoot at potential targets. Warning messages were also sent to the residents of the affected areas.
Both the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) and the European Union condemned Russia on Friday for violating Romanian airspace. TASR informs about it according to AFP reports. “Early this morning, a drone struck an apartment building in Romania as Russia attacked Ukrainian infrastructure near the border,” NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart confirmed on Platform X.
“We condemn Russia’s recklessness and NATO will continue to strengthen its defenses against all threats, including drones,” she declared. In the post, she also added that the Secretary General of the alliance, Mark Rutte, is in contact with the Romanian authorities.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen took a similar position, according to which “Russia’s war of aggression has crossed another border”. “We stand in full solidarity with Romania and its people… As we continue to strengthen our security and deterrence, especially on our eastern border, we will put increasing pressure on Russia,” she wrote on X.
Moldova, which is located between Romania and Ukraine, also condemned the incident. The president there, Maia Sanduová, described the situation as worrying. “The Republic of Moldova stands in full solidarity with Romania and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured in Galati. Russia poses a danger to everyone and must be stopped,” she stated on X.
