Published on 5/29/2026
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Last update: 11:14 (Mecca time)
The Ministry of Defense in Romania, a member of NATO, said on Friday that a Russian drone crashed into a residential building within its territory, in the city of Galati, near the border with Ukraine.
The ministry stated, in a statement, that Russia has resumed its attacks with drones against civilian targets and infrastructure in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania.
She added that one of these drones entered Romanian airspace, was detected by radar as far as the southern part of the city of Galati, and then crashed on the roof of a residential building, causing a fire to break out upon impact.
Drone incursions into Romania have been observed several times since the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, but this is the first time that a drone has hit a residential building inside the country.
The ministry explained that as soon as the drones were spotted near Romanian airspace, two F-16 fighters took off from the Vecti Air Base in eastern Romania, and were tasked with “dealing with the targets throughout the warning period.”
According to the Romanian emergency service, the drone’s entire payload exploded, and ambulance teams provided on-site medical care to the two people who were inside the damaged apartment after sustaining scratches, after they were able to evacuate the building.
In this context, Romanian Foreign Minister Ana Tsoiu said that the Russian Federation’s ambassador was summoned to the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the fall of the drone in Galati.
She added: “We have confirmation from the Ministry of Defense that the drone that fell in Galati was of Russian origin.”
In international reactions, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) condemned, on Friday, what it described as Russia’s “recklessness” after the drone fell on a residential building in Romania.
NATO spokeswoman Alison Hart wrote on the X platform: “We condemn Russia’s recklessness,” adding that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is in contact with the Romanian authorities.
A NATO spokesman also confirmed that NATO will continue to strengthen its defenses against all threats, including drones.
For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen considered that “Russian aggression crossed a new line” after the drone hit a building inside Romania, a member of the European Union and neighboring Ukraine.
She wrote on the X platform: “We stand in full solidarity with Romania and its people. As we continue to strengthen our security and deterrence capacity, especially on our eastern borders, we will also continue to escalate pressure on Russia.”
She added that the European Union is currently working on preparing the twenty-first package of sanctions against Moscow.
Russian threats
An air alert was launched throughout Ukraine on Friday, in anticipation of new Russian raids, before it was lifted a few hours later.
At least two people were injured in the Zaporizhya region in the south of the country as a result of a fire that broke out due to a Russian attack, according to local authorities.
On Sunday night, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine, which was described as one of the most violent since the war began more than four years ago, using about 600 drones, 35 ballistic missiles, and 50 cruise missiles.
Following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to the United States of America to provide his country with more missiles for Patriot air defense systems, as it is the only system capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.
During the past few days, Russia threatened to escalate its attacks on Ukraine, in response to a Ukrainian strike that Moscow said resulted in the killing of 21 people in a school inside Ukrainian territory controlled by Russian forces.
On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on foreign nationals residing in Kiev, including diplomats, to leave the Ukrainian capital before further bombing operations occurred.
NATO member states bordering Ukraine or Russia, such as Romania, Poland and the Baltic states, are exposed to frequent incursions by drones from one side of the war.
In this context, Latvia, which borders Russia and its ally Belarus, formed a new government on Thursday, two weeks after the fall of the previous government against the backdrop of drone incursions that highlighted the weaknesses in the country’s air defenses.
Although these drones did not cause significant damage, they raised widespread concern in the former Soviet republic, which is now a member of NATO and the European Union.
Zelensky offered to send Ukrainian experts to Latvia to help strengthen its air defenses.
During a visit to Vilnius this week, Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of committing repeated violations, considering that Moscow seeks to destabilize democratic societies within the European Union.
