A Russian drone hit a residential building in Romania

Two people were injured after a strike on a high-rise building in Galati

On the night of May 29, a Shahed-type drone used by the Russian army crashed into a residential high-rise building in the Romanian city of Galati. According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, the drone violated the country's airspace during another Russian attack on Ukraine. F-16 fighters and a helicopter were scrambled to intercept it, but before it was destroyed, the drone managed to crash into the roof of a residential building.

As a result of the attack, two people were injured - a mother and her son. A fire started in the house. About 70 residents were evacuated from the building. According to Romanian rescuers, the stairwells of two houses and five cars were damaged.

Galati is located approximately 11 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Previously, the Romanian authorities reported more than 45 times that drones had crashed in the country during attacks on the Odessa region, but the current case was the first when a drone hit a densely populated residential area and resulted in injuries to civilians.

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Romania closes the Russian Consulate General

Romanian President Nicusor Dan called the incident a “serious incident” and announced the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Constanta, the only Russian consulate in the country.

“Last night we had a serious incident in which two citizens were injured, and all responsibility lies with Russia,” Dan said.

Russian Consul General in Constanta Andrey Kosilin has been declared persona non grata. Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipaev was also summoned to the Romanian Foreign Ministry.

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Tsoiu called the incident a “serious and irresponsible escalation on the part of the Russian Federation” and said that Bucharest had requested the accelerated transfer of anti-drone capabilities to the country.

In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow’s retaliatory measures “will not keep you waiting.” She also emphasized that attention to the incident in Romania distracts the public from the attack on the college in Starobelsk.

NATO and EU supported Bucharest

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, after a conversation with the President of Romania, assured Bucharest of the alliance’s full support.

“Russia's reckless behavior poses a danger to us all. The consequences of its illegal war of aggression do not stop at the border,” Rutte said.

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker also condemned the incident and said that the allies will defend “every inch of NATO territory.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “Russian aggression has crossed another line” and announced the preparation of a new, 21st package of sanctions against Moscow.

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The Kremlin confirmed that Putin was informed about the incident

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Vladimir Putin was informed about the incident in Romania.

“What do you think? Hidden? — Peskov answered the journalists’ question.

However, he refused to comment on the situation, saying that the president is on a visit to Kazakhstan and is focused on issues of Russian-Kazakh relations and the work of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called first to establish the identity of the drone, and then said that the EU countries should “shut up about this topic,” since European states are “direct participants in the war with Russia.”

Russia has previously repeatedly denied carrying out strikes on the territory of NATO countries. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Russian missiles and drones are never directed against alliance states, and the targets of attacks are exclusively objects associated with the Ukrainian armed forces.

Previously, “Verstka” calculated that from the beginning of the war to September 2024, missile and UAV debris had been found more than 30 times in seven countries neighboring Ukraine. Most often they ended up in Romania and Moldova.

Photo: At the site of a drone hit in Galati, Romania, May 29, 2926. Anadolu via Reuters Connect

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