Russian drone hits Romanian apartment building, two injured
Bucharest, May 29
A Russian drone entered Romanian airspace and crashed into a residential apartment building, sparking a fire and injuring two people, Romania's National Defence Ministry announced on Friday.
According to the ministry, the injured individuals were taken to the Galati County Emergency Clinical Hospital.
It said that during the night from Thursday to Friday, Russia resumed drone attacks against targets in Ukraine, in the vicinity of Romania's river border.
A drone entered Romanian airspace and was tracked by radar systems to the southern area of Galati municipality, where it crashed onto the roof of a residential apartment building and caused a fire, the ministry said.
Specialised teams from the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and other Ministry of Internal Affairs structures, the Romanian Intelligence Service and the Romanian Police are operating at the scene, it said, adding that the National Military Command Centre had notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations to implement public alert measures.
According to Romanian media, dozens of residents were evacuated.
Earlier this month, several drones entered Latvian airspace from Russia with two of them crashing into an oil storage facility in Rezekne and damaging one empty oil tank, reports cited.
On May 21, the Latvian armed forces said at least one foreign drone entered the country's airspace, the latest in a series of drone incursions reported across the Baltic States in recent months.
Authorities issued air alerts in several eastern Latvian regions, while NATO fighter jets participating in the Baltic Air Policing mission were scrambled in response. The alert was lifted later in the day.
The incident came days after Estonia said a NATO fighter jet had shot down a drone over its territory, while Lithuania reported that a military drone carrying explosives had crashed after entering its airspace. On May 7, two drones crashed into an oil storage facility in Latvia's Rezekne.
Baltic authorities believe many of the drones are Ukrainian aircraft intended for strikes on Russian targets that veered off course into neighbouring countries' airspace.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Two people injured and dozens evacuated—this is a serious escalation. Russia targeting Ukraine's infrastructure is one thing, but now NATO airspace is being breached. The Baltic states are on edge, and for good reason. I hope Romania gets support quickly. Also, NATO's response needs to be decisive, otherwise Russia will keep testing limits. 😤
It's sad to see how the Ukraine conflict is affecting neighboring countries. Romania is not even at war, yet its civilians are paying the price. India has always advocated for peace and dialogue. This is a reminder that wars don't stay confined to borders—they have a ripple effect. Praying for the injured and the evacuated families. 🙏
This is getting out of hand. How many times do drones have to crash in NATO countries before Article 5 is invoked? The Baltic states have reported multiple incursions, and now Romania has human casualties. Russia is either careless or provocative—neither is acceptable. The West needs to step up air defense along the eastern flank.
As an Indian, I can't help but think of our own borders. If drones can cross into Romania undetected, what stops them from entering India? We have a long border with Pakistan and China, and drone threats are real. The government should invest more in anti-drone systems and radar tech. This is a wake-up call for everyone.
The article says Baltic authorities believe some drones are Ukrainian, not Russian. That's a key detail. If Ukraine's drones are misfiring into NATO territory, it complicates the
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.