Russian drone injures two in Romanian city, drawing NATO and EU concern

A Russian drone struck an apartment block in Galati, a city in southeastern Romania, during an overnight attack on Friday. Two people were injured in the strike, marking the first time a Russian drone has hit a densely populated area in Romania and caused harm to civilians during the war in Ukraine.

The drone hit the roof of a 10-storey residential building and detonated on impact. Romania's defense ministry said "initial information indicates that the entire load of the Geran 2 drone, of Russian origin, exploded upon impact." A fire broke out on the tenth floor after the strike. Emergency responders evacuated 70 residents from the building.

According to state news agency Agerpres, a woman and her child were taken to hospital with minor injuries. Two other people were treated on site for panic attacks. Deputy Interior Minister Raed Arafat told broadcaster Digi24 that the drone damaged two building stairwells and destroyed five parked cars.

Romania shares a 650-kilometer land border with Ukraine. The defense ministry reported that Russian drones have breached Romanian airspace 28 times since Russia began attacking ports across the Danube River in Kyiv. In response to Friday's incident, Bucharest summoned the Russian ambassador to the foreign ministry.

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu called the strike "a serious violation of international law" and said that Romania had "requested measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania." European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said Russia had "crossed yet another line."

NATO issued a statement condemning the attack. "We condemn Russia's recklessness, and NATO will continue to strengthen our defenses against all threats, including drones," a NATO spokesperson posted on X. The incident heightens tensions on NATO's eastern flank, where Ukraine's allies worry the war could spread beyond Ukraine's borders.

Romania's military scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a helicopter to monitor the attack. Brigadier General Gheorghe Maxim told reporters that the drone remained in Romanian airspace for four minutes, flying low to avoid radar detection. He said the U.S. anti-drone system Merops was operational in Romania but using it in the city would have posed too great a risk to civilians.

In a separate incident, authorities found a drone without an explosive payload near Basesti in Maramures county in northwestern Romania on Thursday. State broadcaster TVR reported the drone had a wingspan of about three meters and that investigators were trying to determine its origin and how it reached the area.

Galati was previously hit by a Russian drone in April, which damaged an electricity pole and a household structure. Authorities recovered that drone and detonated its unexploded payload remotely. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported that the Izmail port in the Odesa region came under attack from several drones early Friday. Izmail, located near the Romanian border, is the largest Ukrainian port on the Danube River and a frequent target.