Romania has summoned the Russian ambassador after a drone crashed onto a block of flats in Galați, near its border with Ukraine, injuring two people in what Bucharest has called an “extremely serious incident”.
Foreign minister Oana Țoiu said Romania would set out the consequences of the strike for diplomatic relations with Russia and press for further action at European level, including on sanctions. The drone had been used to bomb infrastructure in Ukraine before it hit the roof of the 10-storey building and started a fire, she said.
Țoiu blamed Moscow directly, describing the strike as a grave and reckless escalation and a serious breach of international law and of Romanian airspace. Russia remained an aggressor state waging an illegal war that threatened regional security and the safety of citizens, she added.
The country is a member of both the European Union and NATO, and shares a 650km land border with Ukraine. It has informed its allies and NATO of the incident and asked them to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities, the minister said.
Aircraft and a helicopter took off as soon as the Russian drones appeared on radar, Țoiu said. The drone then entered Romanian airspace during an overnight Russian attack on Ukrainian targets near the river border, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
Russia had “resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets” close to the border, the ministry said. Galați sits on the Danube near Romania’s borders with Ukraine and Moldova, across the water from Izmail, the largest Ukrainian port on the river and a frequent target of Russian strikes.
Emergency services said about 70 people left the building after the fire broke out on the roof, and that an alert was sent to warn residents. A woman and her child were taken to hospital with minor injuries, while two others were treated on site.
It was the first time a drone had hit a densely populated area in Romania and caused injuries. Russian drones have breached the country’s airspace 28 times since Moscow began attacking Kyiv’s ports across the Danube, the ministry said.
NATO condemned what it called Russia’s “recklessness” and said it would continue to strengthen its defences against all threats, including drones. The strike is likely to increase tensions on NATO’s eastern flank, where allies fear the war in Ukraine could spill across their borders.
Romania scrambled fighter jets over a similar airspace breach in September 2025, and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have reported their own drone incidents in recent weeks.
