Russian Drone Hits Apartment Building In NATO Member Country

Romania said a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building near its border with Ukraine on Friday, injuring civilians. Romanian officials said the drone hit a residential building in Galati, a southeastern city…

Francis KapperMay 29, 20264 min read

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Romania said a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building near its border with Ukraine on Friday, injuring civilians.

Romanian officials said the drone hit a residential building in Galati, a southeastern city near the Ukrainian border, according to a Romanian Ministry of National Defence press release. The drone appears to have veered off course and struck Romania during a series of attacks on Ukraine, Reuters reported.

“Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in a post on X. “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.”

The drone hit the building during an overnight Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine, according to Romania’s Defense Ministry. The strike injured two civilians, including a woman and a child, while roughly 70 residents were evacuated, Reuters reported, citing local authorities.

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Ukrainian drones have also fallen off target, landing or flying over or crashing in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the BBC reported.

The White House, U.S. European Command, NATO and the Romanian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

‘Inside NATO Territory’

The incident marks another case of drones causing civilian injuries inside NATO territory during the war.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan condemned the incident and said Bucharest would respond with Ukraine and other allies, Reuters reported, citing Dan’s post on X. Romania also summoned Russia’s ambassador after the incident, Reuters reported, citing Romania’s Foreign Ministry.

The country joined NATO in 2004.

The Russia-Ukraine war began on Feb. 24, 2022, and has yet to conclude.

Russia has repeatedly sent drones into Romanian airspace since launching attacks against Ukrainian ports near the Danube, Reuters reported, citing Romanian officials. Romania said Russian drones have breached its airspace 28 times since Moscow began targeting Ukrainian ports across the river after its 2022 invasion, Reuters reported.

The Ukrainian military has made drone warfare famous and largely pioneered the tactics that are seen today across the globe, including in Iran and Lebanon. Ukrainians launched an attack on a dormitory in Russian-held Luhansk on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing Russia’s human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova.

Ukraine’s military denied the attack on the dormitory, Reuters reported. Ukrainian officials said that their forces complied with international law, according to the outlet.

The Russians retaliated for the dormitory attack by using an Oreshnik missile, 600 strike drones, and 90 air- sea- and ground-launched missiles, The Associated Press reported, citing the Ukrainian Air Force.

Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter aircraft and sent a military helicopter after the drone entered its airspace, according to the Romanian MOD press release. Romanian Brig. Gen. Gheorghe Mihai said the drone’s brief, low-altitude flight complicated detection, Reuters reported.

The attack comes as the Trump administration has pushed NATO allies to shoulder more of Europe’s conventional defense burden. The department moved to cut the number of brigade combat teams in Europe from four to three, according to a Department of War press release.

Each brigade combat team contains over 4,000 soldiers, artillery and numerous heavy weapons, according to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office.

Trump later announced that the U.S. would send 5,000 additional troops to Poland in a Truth Social post. The announcement followed concerns from Polish officials and lawmakers over the earlier troop move.

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