A Russian drone exploded over an apartment building in Romania
Romania has informed its allies and the NATO Secretary General about the drone incident in Galați.
Mihai Pelin, 29.05.2026, 14:00
A drone crashed early Friday morning on the roof of a ten-story apartment building in the city of Galați, in southeastern Romania, during a Russian nighttime attack on Ukraine, the Romanian authorities announced. It was the first time such a drone fell over a densely populated area in the country, and the incident could heighten tensions on NATO’s eastern flank at a time when Ukraine’s allies are concerned that the war could extend over the border. Two F-16 fighter jets and a military helicopter were scrambled to monitor the attack, and the pilots were authorized to shoot down the drone, but there were no real opportunities to strike it safely. Residents in the border counties of Brăila, Galaţi, and Tulcea (east) were warned to take shelter. Romania’s Emergency Situations Agency stated that a fire broke out in a 10th-floor apartment after the building’s roof was struck. The entire payload of the Russian Geran-2 drone, based on the Iranian Shahed model, exploded upon the impact, damaging two stairwells in the building.
A Radio Romania correspondent, who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident occurred, reported that a woman and her child were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, while two people were treated on the spot for panic attacks. About 70 other people were evacuated. Romania, a member of both NATO and the EU, shares a 650-km (400-mile) land border with Ukraine and has seen Russian drones violate its airspace 28 times since Moscow began attacking Kiyv’s ports across the Danube, the Defense Ministry stated. ‘The Russian Federation continues to be an aggressor state waging an illegal war with serious implications for regional security and the safety of citizens. The Russian Federation bears direct responsibility for these serious and irresponsible actions. Romania will act with the utmost firmness to increase international pressure on the Russian Federation with a view to an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire,” the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
NATO stated that the Alliance’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, is in contact with the Romanian authorities. ‘We condemn Russia’s reckless behavior, and NATO will continue to strengthen its defenses against all threats, including drones’, the North Atlantic Alliance showed. The incident occurs in a context in which, just a few days ago, several European countries summoned Russian diplomats to their foreign ministries following Moscow’s call for diplomats and foreign citizens to leave Kyiv ahead of new strikes on the Ukrainian capital, which had already been heavily bombed by Russia at the end of last week. The threat issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry through a press release and social media posts represents a serious and irresponsible escalation, the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest responded, emphasizing that Romania will not be intimidated and will maintain its diplomatic presence in Ukraine and in Kyiv. (LS)
