A drone struck a residential apartment building in southeastern Romania on Friday, causing a fire and injuring two people in what officials described as the most serious spillover incident from the Ukraine war into Romanian territory so far. The attack took place in the city of Galați, close to Romania’s border with Ukraine.
Romanian authorities said the drone crashed into the roof of a 10-storey apartment block during a large-scale overnight Russian drone assault targeting Ukrainian infrastructure near the Danube region. The impact triggered an explosion and fire, forcing emergency crews to evacuate around 70 residents from the building.
Two civilians suffered injuries in the incident, though officials said their wounds were not life-threatening. Firefighters managed to control the blaze after several hours while bomb disposal teams secured the area. Romanian military radar had reportedly tracked the drone before impact, and NATO-member Romania scrambled F-16 fighter jets and a military helicopter during the emergency response.
Romania’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the drone was of Russian origin and strongly condemned the strike, calling it a “grave and irresponsible escalation.” Bucharest summoned the Russian ambassador following the incident and demanded explanations. Romanian leaders also urged NATO allies to speed up the deployment of advanced anti-drone defence systems near the border.
The incident has intensified concerns that the Russia-Ukraine war could increasingly spill into neighbouring NATO countries. Romania has recorded multiple drone incursions and debris incidents since Russia began attacking Ukrainian ports along the Danube River in 2022, but this marks the first time civilians inside Romania were injured in such an attack.
NATO and European Union leaders condemned the strike soon after the news emerged. NATO officials described Russia’s actions as “reckless,” while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Moscow had “crossed another line.” Finnish President Alexander Stubb also criticised the attack, warning that Russia’s aggression was becoming increasingly dangerous for the wider region.
The drone strike happened amid intensified Russian aerial attacks across Ukraine, especially near border regions and key port infrastructure. Ukrainian officials said hundreds of drones were launched overnight as fighting in the war continues to escalate.
