Romania Condemns "Serious Escalation" Following the Crash of a Russian Drone on a Building Within Its Territory

SadaNews - The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned today, Friday, what it described as a "serious and irresponsible escalation" by Russia, following the collision of a Russian drone with a building in a city in eastern Romania near the border with Ukraine, which resulted in two people sustaining minor injuries, according to AFP.

The ministry stated in a statement that "this incident represents a serious and irresponsible escalation by the Russian Federation".

It added: "Romania has informed its allies and the NATO Secretary General about the situation, and has requested measures to expedite the transfer of drone countermeasure capabilities to Romania".

The Romanian Ministry of Defense, a NATO member state, reported on Friday that a Russian drone struck a residential building within its territory in the city of Galati, near the border with Ukraine.

The ministry mentioned in a statement: "During the night of May 28-29, the Russian Federation renewed its drone attacks against civilian targets and infrastructure in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania. One of these drones entered Romanian airspace, was tracked by radar to the southern part of Galati, and then crashed onto the roof of a residential building, causing a fire upon impact".

Drone incursions into Romania have been reported several times since the onset of the Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine in February 2022, but this is the first time that one of these unmanned aircraft has struck a residential building.

The ministry explained in its statement that when the drones were detected near Romanian airspace, two "F-16" fighter jets took off from the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in eastern Romania and were tasked with "engaging the targets throughout the alert period".

According to the Romanian emergency service, the entire payload of the drone exploded, and medical care was provided on site to the two individuals residing in the affected apartment for their cuts, after they managed to evacuate the building.

Aerial alert was declared across Ukraine on Thursday night in anticipation of new Russian strikes, before being lifted a few hours later. At least two people were injured in Zaporizhzhia (south) due to a fire caused by an attack, local authorities reported.