The Romanian Ministry of Defense has confirmed a Russian drone attack on a residential building in Romania, resulting in a fire and injuries to two people. According to the Ministry’s statement, the Russian drone struck the eastern city of Galați near the Ukrainian border. Emergency services reported that all explosives on the drone detonated, causing a fire on multiple floors of the residential building.
Over the past four years of the Ukraine war, Russian drones have frequently fallen in Romania, but this is the first incident to cause damage within the country. Romania is a member of NATO.
Authorities have stated that the two injured individuals are receiving medical treatment, and approximately 70 residents were evacuated to safe locations during firefighting efforts. Russia has yet to respond to the incident, while Romania has described it as a “serious and irresponsible” act of increasing tension by Russian forces. The Romanian Ministry of Defense has informed the NATO Secretary General and requested the prompt availability of drone defense capabilities.
A NATO spokesperson criticized Russia’s “recklessness” in a statement posted on the social media platform X. They reaffirmed NATO’s commitment to continually strengthening its defense systems against all threats, including drones. Following the detection of drones in Romanian airspace, the Ministry of Defense deployed two F-16 fighter jets.
The city of Galați is located near the Danube River, which separates Romania and Ukraine. Russia has consistently targeted ports along the river. In April of this year, a Russian drone fell in Galați, causing some physical damage but no casualties. According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, 47 Russian drones or their remnants have fallen in Romania, with 12 incidents occurring just this year alone.
