Nato condemns Russian ‘recklessness’ after drone hits Romanian residential block

A Russian drone has hit a block of flats in Romania, causing a fire and injuring two people, officials say - prompting a strong response from Nato and EU officials.

The incident happened on Friday in the eastern town of Galati - close to Romania’s eastern border with Ukraine.

Nato’s secretary general said “Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all”, while the head of the European Commission said Russia’s “war of aggression had crossed yet another line”.

Russian drones have strayed across Romania’s border a number of times during the four-year war with Ukraine, but it is the first time citizens from the Nato member state have been hurt. Russia has yet to comment on the incident.

Romania’s emergency situations authority said the drone’s entire explosive payload detonated and caused a fire on the 10th floor of the residential building.

Two people with abrasions required medical treatment and were taken to the Galati County Emergency Clinical Hospital. About 70 people were evacuated as the fire was put out.

President Nicușor Dan has convened an emergency meeting of Romania’s Supreme Defence Council, describing the Russian drone strike as “the most serious incident to have affected Romanian territory since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine”.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said he had spoken to Dan and told him the alliance “stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory”.

“We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones,” Rutte added.

Romania’s defence ministry said two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled after the drones were detected. Brig Gen Gheorghe Maxim said the army had only had four minutes from when the drone was detected to the moment of impact.

The ministry added in a later update that it appeared the “entire load” of the Geran 2 drone - also known as a Shahed 136 - had exploded on impact.

Gen Maxim said Romanian forces were under significant constraints, as they could not fire munitions that violated Ukrainian airspace. “Ukraine is at war, but Romania is at peace. We cannot launch a projectile into Ukrainian airspace,” he said.

Romania’s military has sought to reassure the public that it was not an attack on the country but rather “a conflict at our border, with consequences for the local population”.

The foreign ministry in Bucharest summoned the Russian ambassador in response to the drone strike, and France said it would follow suit.

“This incident represents a serious and irresponsible escalation on the part of the Russian Federation,” the Romanian foreign ministry said, adding Bucharest had informed the Nato secretary general and “requested measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: “Russia’s war of aggression has crossed yet another line”.

“As we continue strengthening our security and deterrence, especially on our Eastern border, we will keep increasing the pressure on Russia,” she added.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said the incident “proved once again that Russian aggression poses a real threat to the Black Sea region and the entire Europe”.

He urged other countries to strengthen support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia “to restore peace and security in the region”.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the drone strike in Galati as an “irresponsible act by Russia”, and the new prime minister of neighbouring Hungary Péter Magyar expressed solidarity with Romania, wishing a speedy recovery to the wounded.

US Ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker and Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also condemned the drone strike as “reckless”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and several Nato countries have witnessed drone incursions in that time.

Poland blamed Russia for a drone strike on a field in the village of Osiny 130km (80 miles) south-east of Warsaw last August, and then shot down two suspected Russian drones over its territory the following month.

At the time, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had involved Article 4 of the Nato Treaty, which requires members of the North-Atlantic alliance to hold consultations.

For Romania and its Nato allies, the border areas near the River Danube are extremely difficult to defend when Russian drones attack Ukraine’s ports.

The river near Galati forms the border between Romania and Ukraine, and Romania’s defence ministry says that since the start of the war in Ukraine, drone fragments have been found on Romanian territory on 47 separate occasions, 12 of them this year alone.

Last month, fragments of a Russian drone landed on the outskirts of Galati, after a drone was detected across the Ukrainian border near the town of Reni. Nato fighter jets were authorised to target drones at the time but could not fire on one that had been tracked by radar as it did not breach Romanian airspace.

Nato’s secretary general said on Friday the Galati incident “showed yet again that the implications of [Russia’s] illegal war of aggression don’t stop at the border”.

In recent months, Nato member states in the Baltics have also faced a series of incidents involving long-range Ukrainian drones that Kyiv says went off course after being jammed by Russian signals.

Source: BBC

--Agencies