A Russian Shahed-type drone crossed into Romanian airspace and struck an apartment building in Galati, prompting NATO to reaffirm its commitment to defend allied territory.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A Russian suicide drone crossed into Romanian airspace and struck an apartment building in the southeastern city of Galati, injuring two people and prompting NATO to warn that it is prepared to defend allied territory from threats tied to Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets overnight after detecting the drone, but officials said the military had only four minutes between the aircraft entering Romanian airspace and its impact against the apartment block. The strike hit the 10th floor of the building, triggered an explosion and caused a fire.
The incident took place in Galati, a city on the Danube River near the point where Romania, Moldova and Ukraine meet. The area has repeatedly been affected by Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure because of the river’s economic importance to Ukraine.
Romanian troops have previously observed Russian drones striking targets as close as 200 yards from their positions near the border. Villages in the area have already received newly built emergency bomb shelters from the Romanian military because of the frequency of attacks near Romanian territory.
Romanian officials have not determined whether the drone entered the country because it was misdirected by electronic warfare, jamming or other countermeasures used in the war. Drones and missiles have at times gone off course during the conflict as both sides use radio-spectrum interference and other systems to disrupt autonomous weapons.
The drone was identified as a Geran-2, Russia’s version of the Iranian Shahed delta-wing attack drone. Romania said it has opened an investigation.
The strike is being treated as a serious escalation because civilians on NATO territory were injured by a Russian conventional weapon. According to The Times of London, it may be the first time such an injury has occurred in NATO’s 75-year history.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan convened the country’s national defense council Friday morning after the strike. He said Romania had alerted NATO, called for more allied defense systems to be deployed on Romanian territory and raised the issue with the United Nations Security Council.
Calling the episode the “most serious incident” on Romanian soil since the start of the war, Dan blamed Russia for the danger created along NATO’s eastern border.
“The unprecedented nature of the event requires a firm, coordinated and proportionate response – at the national, allied and international levels,” Dan said. “I declare, with all firmness, that the full responsibility for this incident belongs to the Russian Federation… [due to] irresponsible and indiscriminate way in which Moscow operates these weapons systems in the immediate vicinity of NATO borders.”
The Romanian government faced questions over why the drone was not shot down before striking the building. Dan said the military had authorization to destroy the weapon but did not do so because commanders could not guarantee that an interception would avoid greater risk to civilians.
The challenge has appeared repeatedly in Ukraine, where debris or failed intercepts over populated areas can cause serious damage even when an incoming weapon is stopped. Galati sits close to the Ukrainian border, limiting the safe options for bringing down the drone depending on its flight path.
General Gheorghe Maxim, a spokesman for Romanian Joint Forces Command, said the military was also constrained by legal limits, including restrictions against firing in a way that could send Romanian interceptor weapons into Ukrainian airspace, according to national broadcaster TVR Info.
“The first limitation we have is a legal limitation, namely the fact that we cannot fire in such a way that the projectile violates the airspace of a neighboring country,” Maxim said. “We know that Ukraine is at war, but Romania is in a situation of peace and we cannot launch a projectile that reaches the airspace of Ukraine.”
Local residents received warnings to take cover before the impact. Romania’s Department of Emergency Response said “a drone crashed into a block of flats, the impact being followed by an explosion and the outbreak of a fire in an apartment located on the 10th floor.”
Authorities said the two injured residents were able to evacuate the building on their own and were taken to a hospital. No deaths or additional injuries were reported.
Emergency officials said the drone’s full explosive charge detonated during the impact, leaving no remaining explosive material for bomb-disposal teams to remove or destroy. Temporary housing was activated for residents displaced by the blast.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance remains committed to protecting its members and called on Russia to end the war.
“I affirmed that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory,” Rutte said Friday. “We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones.”
“Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all,” Rutte said. “They continue to target civilians and civilian infrastructure across Ukraine. And last night showed yet again that the implications of their illegal war of aggression don’t stop at the border.”
Romania is both a NATO member and one of the European Union’s easternmost states. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Russia had “crossed yet another line” and pledged continued support for Romania.
“We stand in full solidarity with Romania and its people,” von der Leyen said. “As we continue strengthening our security and deterrence, especially on our Eastern border, we will keep increasing the pressure on Russia. We are preparing a 21st package of sanctions.”
The strike has added urgency to Romania’s calls for stronger air defenses along its eastern frontier, where Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Danube and Black Sea infrastructure have repeatedly placed NATO territory near the path of the war.