Romania, a NATO member, reported on Friday that two people were hurt by a drone in a southeastern city during an overnight Russian strike on neighboring Ukraine. This is the first time in the conflict that a drone has struck a heavily populated region in Romania and resulted in injuries.
At a time when Ukraine’s allies are concerned about Russia’s assault on its neighbor spilling over its borders, the incident in Romania, another EU member, was certain to heighten tensions on NATO’s eastern flank.
According to the authorities, the drone struck the roof of a ten-story apartment building in Galati, resulting in an explosion.
Russia has “crossed yet another line,” according to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.
Romania’s defense ministry reported that since Moscow started bombing Kyiv’s ports across the Danube River, Russian drones had breached Romania’s airspace 28 times. Romania and Ukraine share a land border of 650 km (400 miles).
“Romania will take the necessary diplomatic measures in response to this serious violation of international law and its airspace,” stated Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu on X. “Romania has informed the Allies and the NATO Secretary General of the circumstances and has requested measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania.” The ministry claimed to have recovered drone fragments that had fallen in Romania 47 times.
An explosion resulted from the drone striking the roof of a ten-story apartment building in Galati.
When a drone struck a residential building in the western Romanian city of Galati, first responders arrived on the scene.
Two F-16 fighter jets and a military helicopter were dispatched to monitor the attack, according to the defense ministry, which also stated that the pilots had the authority to shoot down any drones. Residents of Tulcea, Galati, and Braila, three border counties, were advised to seek shelter.
Although it hasn’t done so before, Romanian law permits it to shoot down drones during times of peace if lives or property are in danger.
In recent weeks, Ukrainian drones have wandered into the airspace of Baltic nations, creating uncertainty and escalating tensions with Russia.
According to Romania’s emergency response service, the drone hit the building’s roof and burst on Friday, causing a fire to start in an apartment on the tenth story. It stated that 70 individuals had fled and that two persons were seeking medical attention on the scene.
According to Galati’s emergency response service, two people had received on-site treatment for panic attacks, while a mother and her child had been transported to the hospital with minor injuries, according to state news agency Agerpres.
The emergency agency reported that the fire was put out after the drone’s whole explosive payload exploded.
The drone was flying extremely low to the ground when it entered Galati, according to the defense ministry, and radar lost touch with it.
The emergency response agency’s deputy interior minister, Raed Arafat, told private network Digi24 that the drone damaged five automobiles and two building stairwells.
According to local authorities cited by the state TVR network late on Thursday, a drone without an explosive charge was discovered near Basesti in Maramures county in northwest Romania, and the area was guarded.
According to the story, the drone’s wingspan was approximately 3 meters (10 feet), and the authorities were looking into how it managed to be in the region.
Meanwhile, local authorities in southern Ukraine reported that many drones attacked the Izmail port in the Odesa area early on Friday.
The largest Ukrainian port on the Danube River is located in Izmail, which lies near the Romanian border and is often targeted strategically.
The last incident in Galati occurred in April, when a drone caused damage to a home annex and an electrical pole, forcing evacuations. In order to remotely detonate the drone’s unexploded payload, officials retrieved it.
