Nato and EU condemn Russia after drone hits Romanian residential block

A Russian drone struck a residential building in the eastern Romanian town of Galați on Friday, sparking a fire that injured two people and forced the evacuation of about 70 residents. The incident, the first to cause harm to Romanian citizens during the four-year war in Ukraine, prompted swift condemnation from Nato and European Union officials who described it as a serious escalation along the alliance’s eastern flank. Romanian authorities confirmed that the drone, identified later as a Geran 2 model also known as a Shahed 136, carried its full explosive payload when it detonated on the tenth floor of the block of flats. Two individuals suffered abrasions and received treatment at the Galați County Emergency Clinical Hospital. Emergency responders extinguished the blaze after the entire load of explosives detonated on impact. Romania’s defence ministry reported that two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled once the incoming drones were detected. Brig Gen Gheorghe Maxim stated that Romanian forces had only four minutes between detection and the moment of impact. He emphasised the operational constraints facing the military, noting that Romania remains at peace while Ukraine is at war and therefore cannot launch projectiles into Ukrainian airspace.

Sequence of events at the border

The drone that reached Galați formed part of a larger group of 43 drones launched from the east. Romanian President Nicușor Dan explained during a visit to the affected town that some of the drones were shot down over Ukraine, with one struck above the Ukrainian city of Reni. That strike altered the drone’s trajectory and sent it across the border into Romania. Romanian officials have recorded previous instances of Russian drones straying into the country’s airspace since the start of the full-scale war, yet none had previously injured civilians. The defence ministry stressed that the event represented a spillover fro

By Jessica, Staff Writer