Russia launched a drone attack on Romania, a country in Europe, on Friday, drawing a sharp reaction from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which vowed to defend alliance territory.
Following the drone attack on a an apartment in Romania, Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, warned European leaders that drones would continue to stray into their countries and prevent their populations from sleeping peacefully.
“Citizens of EU countries, You should realize your authorities have unilaterally entered into a war with Russia. So be vigilant and don’t be surprised by anything. The peaceful sleep is over. But you know who to ask why,” he posted on X.
Drone attack in Romania
A drone hit an apartment building in the centre of the city of Galati in Romania, close to the border with Ukraine, sparking a fire and sending a 14-year-old boy and 53-year-old woman to hospital with injuries, officials said. About 70 people were evacuated as the fire was put out, BBC reported.
In addition to the woman and her child who were taken to hospital with minor injuries, two people were treated on the scene for panic attacks and 70 were evacuated from the apartment block, local authorities said.
“During the night of May 28-29, the Russian Federation resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania,” the Romanian defence ministry was quoted by AFP as saying.
“One of these drones entered Romanian airspace, was tracked by radar as far as the southern part of the city of Galati, and crashed onto the roof of an apartment building, with the impact triggering a fire,” it said.
Romania’s emergency situations authority was quoted by BBC as saying that the drone’s entire explosive payload detonated and caused a fire on the 10th floor of the residential building.
Romania said Russian drones had breached its airspace 28 times since Moscow began attacking Ukrainian ports across the Danube River following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
But the crash marked the first time a residential building has been hit in the country.
Russia’s TASS news agency cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the incident.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said all the accusations about Russian drones flying in Europe were unsubstantiated, RIA reported.
NATO slams ‘Russia’s reckless behaviour’
“Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on X after speaking by phone to Romanian President Nicusor Dan, whose country is in both the NATO and the European Union.
“I affirmed that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory,” he said, without making any mention of triggering NATO’s mutual defence clause.
“We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones,” Rutte said.
Romania has asked NATO allies to deploy additional anti-drone capabilities to Romania, with official sources saying Bucharest needs low-altitude radars and interceptor drones. A NATO spokesperson said on Friday that “potential additional defensive measures are considered.”
What have the EU and its allies said?
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Russia’s “war of aggression” had “crossed yet another line”, pledging to increase deterrence on the EU’s Eastern border.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the incident showed Russia’s “willingness to escalate”, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called it “an irresponsible act”, and Britain’s Keir Starmer condemned the “serious violation of NATO airspace”.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said in a post on X that the drone crash “proved once again that Russian aggression poses a real threat to the Black Sea region and the entire Europe”, while President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his European allies to increase sanctions on Russia.
“The recent incursion of a Russian drone into the Romanian airspace and its explosion… proved once again that Russian aggression poses a real threat to the Black Sea region and the entire Europe,” Sybiga said in a post on X.
Romania to expel Russian consul general after drone crash: President
Romania’s president said on Friday that the NATO member would expel the Russian consul general in the Black Sea city of Constanta and close the mission after a drone crashed into an apartment building.
“Russia bears full responsibility for this incident… In light of this situation, the Russian Federation’s Consul General in Constanta has been declared persona non grata, and the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Constanta will be closed,” President Nicusor Dan said in a video statement.
In response, Russia is preparing a response to Romania’s move to eject a Russian diplomat over a drone crash in the Romanian city of Galati, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Friday.
Russia vows swift response to Romanian closure of its consulate
Russia will respond swiftly to Romania’s decision to close down the Russian consulate in Constanta, the state-run TASS news agency cited Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan said earlier on Friday that the Russian consul in the southeastern city of Constanta would be expelled and the consulate closed after a Russian drone fell onto the roof of an apartment block, triggering an explosion
Drone crash in Romania shows Russia threat to ‘entire Europe’: Ukraine FM
