Russian Drone Strike Injures Two in Romania, Sparks NATO and EU Condemnation

The Russin leader emphasized that all the objectives of his state visit to Kazakhstan have been attained

Romania openly follows the EU and NATO’s foreign policy course, the Russian embassy to Bucharest said

NATO is considering how to improve NATO countries’ defense against drones, a spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe said

Putin asks Romania to probe drone incident  Anadolu Ajansı

It was two o’clock in the morning when the explosion hit — a Russian drone smashing into the tenth floor of an apartment block in the Romanian town of Galati, just 11 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a military helicopter, while emergency alerts were sent to residents across the affected region. Two people were injured and the apartment building was swiftly evacuated. The incident has sparked condemnation across NATO capitals and raised fresh concerns about the growing risks along the alliance’s eastern flank.

Ukraine war latest: NATO condemns 'reckless' Russian drone strike on Romanian apartment building  The Kyiv Independent

Russian drone crash in Romania: NATO still seeks defense systems adapted to drone incursions  Le Monde.fr

Romania says the Russian drone was likely hit over Ukraine by its air defences and altered its trajectory.

The Romanian Defense Ministry said earlier that a drone fell on the roof of an apartment building in the city of Galati

As the Russian president noted, there have already been instances of Ukrainian drones crashing in European countries

Putin says it's too early to say if the drone which strayed into Romania was Russian  The Straits Times

The Russian president said the initial reaction was exactly the same as it is now in Romania

Russian Drone Crashes Into Apartment Building in NATO Member Romania  WSJ

‘I’m afraid for my life’: Romanians in shock after drone crash  The Straits Times

Beate Meinl-Reisinger stated that she had summoned the Russian ambassador in Vienna to lodge a protest against Moscow’s "escalation"

Romania shuts Russian consulate in Constanta, declares consul persona non grata after drone strike  Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency

Nato vows to defend ‘every inch’ of territory after Russian drone hits Romania  Middle East Eye

France summons Russian ambassador over drone crash in Romania  Middle East Eye

Russian official warns Europe to brace for more drone incidents after Romania episode  The Straits Times

The Romanian Defense Ministry did not specify the origin of the unmanned aerial vehicle

Romania will hold an emergency meeting following the incident, in which two people were injured.

Romania shuts Russian consulate in Constanța, expels consul after Russian drone strike injures civilians  WION

Dmitry Peskov emphasized that moving toward the EU was an absolute sovereign right of Armenia, but it could not and should not do so at the expense of the finances of the EAEU member states

A Russian drone crashed into an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people and sparking outrage. President Nicusor Dan called it the "worst incident to hit the national territory" since the war began. NATO and EU leaders condemned the "serious and irresponsible escalation," with Romania requesting faster anti-drone aid. This occurred amidst renewed Russian attacks on Ukraine.

CCD: Russia is trying to justify drone incident in Romania by accusing Ukraine of “planned provocation”  Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency

According to Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu, Vladimir Lipayev will be notified of the measures that Romania will take at the diplomatic level in response to the incident

‘Danger to us all’: NATO, EU leaders slam Russia’s ‘reckless behaviour’ after drone incident in member state Romania  WION

Russian drone hits building in NATO member Romania, adding to worries in Europe  The Washington Post

A Russian drone that was part of an overnight attack on Ukraine crashed into an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people, Romanian authorities said Friday.

Mark Rutte says Moscow’s ‘reckless behaviour is a danger to us all’ after drone hit apartments during attack on Ukraine. Plus, Paul McCartney on how old bandmates – and Oasis – inspired his nostalgic new album Good morning. The Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, has said the alliance is “ready to defend every inch” of its territory after a Russian drone hit an apartment building in Romania, a member state, during an overnight attack on neighbouring Ukraine. What else is happening? Sweden will donate 16 of its existing Gripen fighter jets by next year to Ukraine, which will go on to buy an initial 20 of the latest model, they announced on Thursday, as Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited an airbase in Uppsala, 70km (45 miles) north of Stockholm. What did Netanyahu say? The Israeli prime minister, who is struggling for his political survival before elections in the next few months, said: “We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60% of the territory in the strip. You know, we were at 50, we moved to 60. My directive is to move to … 70%.” Continue reading...

NATO member Romania says Russian drone hit block of flats, injuring two  The Straits Times

Mark Rutte said "Russia's reckless behaviour is a danger to us all."

Romania has accused Russia of a "serious and irresponsible escalation" after a drone hit a high-rise building inside Romanian territory near the border with Ukraine. The drone entered Romanian airspace during overnight attacks on Ukraine and crashed into a residential building in Galati.

Euronews reports from the Romanian city of Galati, where a Russian drone struck an apartment building near the Ukrainian border. The impact sparked a fire, injured two people and prompted an overnight emergency response.

Russian drone launched against Ukraine crashes in Romania, injuring 2  AP News

NATO condemned “Russia’s recklessness” and confirmed that it was in touch with the Romanian authorities.

Mark Rutte says Moscow’s ‘reckless behaviour is a danger to us all’ after drone hit apartments during attack on Ukraine Europe live – latest updates The Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, has said the alliance is “ready to defend every inch” of its territory after a Russian drone hit an apartment building in Romania, a member state, during an overnight attack on neighbouring Ukraine. The incident in Galați, which injured two people, prompted swift condemnation and the threat of repercussions. Continue reading...

Video captured the moment a Russian Geran-2 drone crashed into an apartment building in eastern Romania near the Ukrainian border. The impact sparked a fire and injured two people, according to Romanian authorities.

Nato chief Mark Rutte said on Friday he had assured Romania’s president of the alliance’s “absolute solidarity” as he slammed Russia for a drone crash in the country bordering Ukraine. Nato member Romania said that a drone injured two people in a southeastern city during an overnight Russian attack on Ukraine, the first time in the war that a drone had hit a densely populated area in Romania and caused injuries. The incident in Romania, also a member of the European Union, was likely to increase tensions on Nato’s eastern flank at a time when Ukraine’s allies are worried about Russia’s war on its neighbour spilling over its borders. “Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all,” Rutte wrote on social media after a call with President Nicusor Dan. “I affirmed that Nato stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory.” The drone hit the roof of a 10-storey block of flats in Galati and caused an explosion, the Romanian authorities said. “We condemn Russia’s recklessness, and Nato will continue to strengthen our defences against all threats, including drones,” a Nato spokesperson posted on X. ‘Serious violation of international law’ “Initial information indicates that the entire load of the Geran 2 drone, of Russian origin, exploded upon impact,” the defence ministry said in a statement. Romania, which shares a 650-kilometre land border with Ukraine, has experienced Russian drones breaching its airspace 28 times since Moscow began attacking Kyiv’s ports across the Danube River, Romania’s defence ministry said. Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu called the incident a “serious violation of international law” and said that Bucharest had “requested measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania”. She said the Russian ambassador had been summoned to the foreign ministry. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said Russia had “crossed yet another line”. There was no immediate comment from the Russian defence ministry. Ukrainian drones have strayed into Baltic countries’ airspace in recent weeks, sowing confusion and raising tensions with Russia. F-16 jets scrambled The Romanian defence ministry said it scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a military helicopter to monitor the attack, adding the pilots were authorised to shoot down any drones. The residents of border counties Braila, Galati and Tulcea were warned to take cover. Romanian Brigadier General Gheorghe Maxim told a press conference that the drone was in Romania’s airspace for four minutes, flying low, making it difficult for radar to detect. He said the US anti-drone system Merops was operational in Romania but would have been too risky to use in a city. In Friday’s incident, a fire broke out in a 10th-floor apartment after the drone struck the building’s roof and exploded, Romania’s emergency response agency said. Two people were receiving medical treatment on site, it said, adding 70 people had evacuated. State news agency Agerpres cited Galati’s emergency response agency as saying a woman and her child had been taken to hospital with minor injuries, while two others had been treated on site for panic attacks. Drone with unexploded payload also reported Deputy Interior Minister Raed Arafat, who is in charge of the emergency response agency, told private broadcaster Digi24 the drone affected two building stairwells and damaged five cars. In a separate incident, a drone without an explosive charge was found around Basesti in Maramures county in northwestern Romania and the area was secured, state broadcaster TVR said late on Thursday, citing local authorities. The authorities were investigating the origin of the drone, which the report said had a wingspan of about 3 metres, and how it happened to be in the area, TVR added. Local authorities in southern Ukraine, meanwhile, said the Izmail port in the Odesa region came under attack from several drones early on Friday. Izmail, close to the Romanian border, is home to the largest Ukrainian port on the Danube River and is a frequently targeted strategic location. Galati was last hit in April, when a drone damaged an electricity pole and a household annex, prompting evacuations. Officials retrieved that drone to detonate its unexploded payload remotely.

Russian drone hits Romania apartment block, drawing NATO, EU outrage  France 24

Reactions to drone incident in Romania  The Straits Times

Civilians injured on EU territory: von der Leyen reacts to Russian drone strike in Romania  Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency

Nato member Romania said on Friday that a drone injured two people in a southeastern city during an overnight Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine, the first time in the war that a drone had hit a densely populated area in Romania and caused injuries. The incident in Romania, also a member of the European Union, ‌was likely to increase tensions on Nato’s eastern flank at a time when Ukraine’s allies were worried about Russia’s war on its neighbour spilling over its borders. “We condemn...

The incident adds to concern that Moscow's war on Ukraine risks spilling over to entangle neighbouring NATO states.

The drone was tracked by radar in Romanian airspace and crashed onto the roof of a building in Galati

Romania summons Russian envoy after drone crashes into apartment building  Anadolu Ajansı

Russian drone hits apartment building in Romania  Financial Times

Romanian Defense Ministry confirms drone that hit apartment building belongs to Russia  Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency

Romania accused Russia of a "grave and irresponsible escalation" after a Russian drone entered its airspace. NATO's Mark Rutte has condemned Russia's "reckless behavior."

Ukraine says Russian drones attacked three foreign-flagged vessels  Reuters

Romania has accused Russia of a "serious and irresponsible escalation" after a drone hit a high-rise building inside Romanian territory near the border with Ukraine.

Russian drone attacks Turkish ship departing Odesa region, injures two crew members  Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency

Romania says Russian drone incident in Galati is 'grave escalation'  The Jerusalem Post

Russian drone strike on Romanian residential building 'serious and irresponsible escalation'  The Kyiv Independent

An explosion occurred upon impact, which sparked a fire in one of the apartments and injured two people, the news agency said

Russian drone hits apartment building in NATO-member Romania, injuring two people  Le Monde.fr

Drone Breaches Romanian Airspace, Hits Building and Injures Two  Bloomberg.com

Video shows moment Russian drone hits apartment building in Romania | WATCH  WION

A drone struck a residential building in Romania’s city of Galati near the Ukrainian border, injuring two people and triggering a fire after impact, authorities said on Friday. The incident, which prompted the evacuation of dozens of residents, comes amid continued drone activity in the region linked to the war in Ukraine. Bucharest condemned the strike as an 'irresponsible escalation' by Moscow.

NATO member Romania says Russian drone hit block of flats, injuring two  Reuters