Russian Drone Hits Residential Building in Romania, Injuring Two

A Russian drone struck an apartment building in Romania, a NATO member, injuring two people and igniting a fire. The Romanian Ministry of Defense reported that the drone entered Romanian airspace during the night of May 28-29, was tracked by radar to the southern city of Galati, and subsequently crashed onto the roof of a residential building.

Emergency services responded to the incident, providing medical treatment to two individuals for abrasions. The fire caused by the drone's impact was extinguished. Images from the scene showed firefighters working and debris scattered on the ground. The ministry confirmed that the drone's entire explosive payload detonated, leading to the evacuation of approximately 70 residents.

While drone incursions into Romanian airspace have been detected numerous times since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this event is significant as it is the first recorded instance of a drone hitting a residential structure within Romania. In response to the detected drones, two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported that the Izmail port in the Odesa region, located near the Romanian border, also came under drone attack. Izmail, a strategic location and home to the largest Ukrainian port on the Danube River, is frequently targeted. Separately, in a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, a Ukrainian drone attack reportedly killed three utility workers and seriously injured a fourth.

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During the night of 28 – 29 May, the Russian Federation resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania. 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.