Romania accuses Russia of escalation as drone hits building

Romania accused Russia of a “serious and irresponsible escalation” after a drone entered its airspace early on Friday and crashed into an apartment building, injuring two people.

The incident was the most serious of its kind for the eastern-flank NATO member since Moscow invaded neighboring Ukraine more than four years ago and drew an immediate response from leaders in the region.

It follows a series of incursions across the Baltic states, Finland and Poland that have grown in intensity as the warring parties respond by trying to jam and spoof drones sending them to neighboring countries.

“Russia’s war of aggression has crossed yet another line,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X. The European Union is preparing a fresh package of Russian sanctions to increase the pressure on Moscow, she said.

Romania’s defense ministry said radar systems tracked the drone from its border with Ukraine to the eastern town of Galati, some 20 km (12 miles) away, where it hit the rooftop of an apartment building, according to a statement on its website. The crash sparked a fire and injured two people. The building was evacuated, and the entire area was put on alert.

Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to track several drones flying near the border with Ukraine and the pilots had clearance to engage with the aerial targets, the ministry said.

The drone that crashed was monitored for a short period of time before dropping below a level that radar could detect it, preventing authorities from deciding whether to shoot it down safely, Brigadier General Gheorghe Maxim told reporters in Bucharest on Friday.

“The Romanian defense response was limited by the level of equipment,” Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said in a statement, adding the government aims to accelerate the acquisition of anti-drone equipment under the E.U.’s SAFE program.

Romanian Interim Defense Minister Radu Miruta said he had a phone conversation with NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte and requested the deployment of more anti-drone capabilities in eastern Romania. A spokesman for the alliance condemned “Russia’s recklessness” in a post on X and vowed to strengthen its defenses against drones.

The E.U. nation said it will also make a complaint to the United Nations Security Council over the incident and the repeated breaches of its airspace by Russian drones.

Bolojan said he will cut short his official trip to Moldova’s capital Chisinau and return to Bucharest as soon as possible. He also called on the Supreme Defense Council to approve sanctions against Russian diplomats in Bucharest.

“The unprecedented nature of the event requires a firm, coordinated, and proportionate response — at the national, allied, and international levels,” President Nicusor Dan said in an e-mailed statement. Dan will chair a meeting of the country’s top defense council at noon to discuss the incident.

Poland last September sought a consultation of NATO powers by invoking Article 4 of the alliance treaty after shooting down drones that crossed into its territory during Russia’s air strike on Ukraine.

Rutte affirmed in a phone call with Dan on Friday that “NATO stands ready to defend every inch of allied territory,” he said in a post on X. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said in a separate post that the U.S. stands with its ally Romania and condemned the “reckless incursion.”

Guiding drones

Romania and other NATO members on the eastern flank have seen an increase in Russian airspace violations over the past year. Russia has been regularly attacking Ukraine’s Black Sea infrastructure throughout the war, striking ports and civilian ships with scores of drones, some of which have entered NATO territory.

Earlier this month, Estonia shot down a stray Ukrainian drone, while Lithuanian leaders were forced to take shelter during an alert in Vilnius. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna last week accused Russia of “guiding” Ukrainian military drones toward NATO countries. He didn’t provide evidence.

Finland has seen stray drones from Ukraine veer and crash into the country in recent months, though none have caused major damage. Earlier this month, an emergency warning was issued for the first time for the Helsinki area.

The drones have been part of Ukraine’s efforts to attack Russia’s oil infrastructure on the Baltic Sea coast.

Friday’s drone incursion into Romania happened while barrages of the Russian unmanned aircraft were attacking southern Ukraine around Odesa, where key ports are located. The barrage started Thursday evening and continued overnight, hitting three civilian merchant ships in the Black Sea, Ukraine said.

Russia attacked Ukraine with one Iskander-M missile and 232 drones overnight, Kyiv’s Air Force command said on Telegram. Ukraine downed most of the drones, but 14 evaded air defense.

Russia has made no official comment on the drone incident in Romania. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said his country was “ready to work closely together to strengthen protection from such threats.”

Successive Romanian governments have faced criticism over their response to breaches of the country’s airspace by drones. The authorities have avoided shooting them down, saying that would require careful assessment to avoid unnecessary escalation and risk to the population.

Critics, including former President Traian Basescu, said that failing to intercept them may create security risks and undermine public confidence in the country’s ability to protect its airspace.

The debate reflects the broader challenge faced by many countries in balancing national defense concerns with legal, diplomatic and operational considerations when responding to the incursions and Russia’s more aggressive testing of NATO’s borders.

It’s also having political ramifications. In Latvia, the controversy over an allegedly insufficient response to Ukrainian drones veering off course during Kyiv’s attacks on Russia led to a collapse of the ruling alliance earlier this month.

Von der Leyen earlier this week called for unified alert systems and improved cross-border coordination after a string of Ukrainian drone incursions into Baltic airspace exposed gaps in Europe’s defenses.

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—With assistance from Andrea Palasciano, Aliaksandr Kudrytski and Kati Pohjanpalo.