Russian drone in Romania? The incident that alarms NATO and puts Europe on alert

For the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine, a suspected Russian drone directly hit a residential building on NATO territory, injuring two people and causing a fire. The incident occurred early Thursday morning in the Romanian city of Galati and has provoked a strong international reaction, putting the eastern flank of the alliance on high alert.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan convened a meeting of the country's Supreme National Defense Council on Friday following the incident. Romania’s Foreign Ministry accused Russia of a "serious and irresponsible escalation" and summoned the Russian ambassador Friday.

"We will officially communicate the consequences that this lack of responsibility on the part of the Russian Federation will have for the diplomatic relations between our countries, as well as the next steps at the European level regarding sanctions packages," Foreign Minister Oana Toiu wrote on X.

Is the drone that crossed Romanian airspace Russian?

According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, one of the Geran-2 drones, Russian-made and also known as Shahed-136, involved in a night attack against Ukrainian targets, was the one that crossed into Romanian airspace.

"During the night of May 28-29, the Russian Federation resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania," the Romanian Defense Ministry said.

"One of these drones entered Romanian airspace, was tracked by radar as far as the southern part of the city of Galati, and crashed onto the roof of an apartment building, with the impact triggering a fire," it added.

The Defense Ministry reported that two F-16 fighter jets were urgently deployed after the drones were detected in Romanian airspace.

NATO pledges "absolute solidarity" with Romania

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, on Friday expressed his "absolute solidarity" with Romania during a telephone conversation with its president, while sharply criticizing the Kremlin over the drone incident.

"I reaffirmed that NATO is ready to defend every inch of allied territory," the secretary said. "We will continue to strengthen our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including drones."

Rutte asserted that "Russia's reckless behavior poses a danger to us all."

The United States ambassador to NATO claimed the incident was a "reckless incursion" into Romanian territory, although he did not explicitly mention Russia.

"We stand with our NATO Ally Romania and condemn this reckless incursion on its territory," Ambassador Matthew Whitaker wrote on X, adding, "We will defend every inch of NATO territory."

Von der Leyen and France condemn Russia

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Friday that the "war of aggression" launched by Russia "has crossed yet another line."

"We stand in full solidarity with Romania and its people," the European Commission president wrote on social media. "As we continue strengthening our security and deterrence, especially on our Eastern border, we will keep increasing the pressure on Russia," she added.

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot accused the Kremlin on Friday of committing an "irresponsible act," adding that Russia had attacked "a country of the European Union and a NATO member."