Explosion of Russian drone in Romania, condemned at the UN
A UN Security Council emergency meeting was held on Monday in New York at Romania’s request.
Daniela Budu, 02.06.2026, 14:00
More than 56 countries, mainly members of the European Union and NATO, condemned at the UN Russia’s “unacceptable” behavior after a drone crashed into a building in Galați, eastern Romania, last week, according to a statement read by Romania’s interim foreign minister, Oana Țoiu, France Presse reports. At Bucharest’s request, an emergency meeting was held on Monday in New York following the extremely serious incident involving a violation of Romania’s national airspace by a drone attributed to the Russian Federation, followed by an explosion that injured several people and caused material damage.
It is the first time in Romania’s 70 years of UN membership that the country has requested an emergency meeting of the Security Council for a situation directly affecting national territory. “The violations of the airspace of Romania and other partners in Central and Eastern Europe by Russian drones have been repeated since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine and are a direct consequence of Russia’s escalation tactics,” Oana Țoiu said in New York. She warned that these actions must not be treated as ordinary incidents and that such escalations must not be considered the “new normal.”
At the UN emergency meeting, the interim minister presented evidence that the drone was Russian and explained that Russia had recklessly endangered Romanian lives. In her remarks, Oana Țoiu reaffirmed Romania’s support for Ukraine and stressed the need to maintain diplomatic pressure on Russia, noting that security guarantees for Kyiv are essential for achieving lasting peace in the region.
According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in New York, the US representative on the Security Council, Ambassador Dan Negrea, stated: “The United States stands with NATO ally Romania. We will defend every inch of NATO territory.” The British ambassador to the United Nations, James Kariuki, also condemned the incident in Galați. NATO is a defensive alliance, but it is fully prepared to defend its members, he assured.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan announced on Sunday that the drone that struck the building in Galați, near the Ukrainian border, was a Geran-2 type of Russian origin. He emphasized that Romania will not ignore or downplay any incident that endangers the lives of its citizens, national security, or the sovereignty of the Romanian state. The President assured that Romania will continue to work with its partners to strengthen security on the Alliance’s eastern flank.
Regarding Bucharest’s diplomatic response to the incident – the closure of the Russian Federation’s Consulate General in Constanța and the expulsion of the consul general – Nicușor Dan said in an interview with the BBC that the situation had become dangerous for civilians and that additional measures would follow if the incidents continued. Against this background, President Vladimir Putin stated that he doubts the drone was of Russian origin and said his country poses no threat to European states. (EE)
