A Russian attack drone crashed into the roof of a residential apartment building in Galati, Romania on Friday, injuring at least two people in what Romanian authorities called an unprecedented strike inside NATO territory.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan summoned the national defense council and said his country “will not accept, in any way, the war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine to be transferred onto its citizens.” Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a military helicopter in response.
Galati sits in southeastern Romania near the country’s southern border with Moldova. The drone impact marks the first time a Russian attack drone has struck so far within Romanian territory and the first to cause casualties. Russian drones have repeatedly crashed near Ukraine’s border with Romania since Moscow launched its invasion in 2022, and Russian-origin drones have been spotted in Baltic country airspace in recent months.
Romania is a full NATO member, placing Friday’s incident under the umbrella of the alliance’s collective defense obligations.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte condemned the strike in a post on X. “Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all. Last night showed yet again that the implications of their illegal war of aggression don’t stop at the border,” Rutte wrote. “We will continue to strengthen our deterrence and defence at home and continue our support for Ukraine as they defend against Russia’s aggression.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the strike a new threshold for Russian aggression. “Moscow’s war of aggression has crossed yet another line,” von der Leyen said.
Romanian authorities have not indicated they plan to invoke Article 4 of the NATO charter, which permits any member nation to request formal alliance consultations when its territorial security is threatened.
Dan said Romania’s response would be “coordinated and appropriate.”
The incident comes as Russia has escalated cross-border drone operations across Eastern Europe in recent weeks, testing NATO’s willingness to respond to provocations short of a direct military attack. Western officials have watched the pattern with increasing alarm, warning that Moscow is probing alliance cohesion.
