Russian Drone Strikes Romanian Apartment Building, Romania Expels Russian Consul General

The Friday incident in Galati marked the first time a Russian drone caused confirmed damage and injuries in a major urban area on NATO territory, according to the New York Times. Romanian authorities said radar detected Russian drones flying "in the vicinity of Romanian airspace" after Russia resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine. The Romanian Defense Ministry said F-16 warplanes and a helicopter were scrambled shortly after 1 a.m. with orders to engage the targets.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan said a decision was later taken not to engage the target because "the conditions did not exist to destroy it without the heightened risk of endangering civilian safety." He subsequently convened the national defense council and said he would "order proportionate measures in relation to the Russian Federation." Dan declared the Russian Consul General in Constanta persona non grata, ordered the consulate closed, and said he had notified NATO and EU allies, alerted the UN Security Council, and requested allies deploy additional anti-drone defense systems.

Dan placed full responsibility on Russia. "I declare, with the utmost firmness, that full responsibility for this incident lies with the Russian Federation," he said, describing the attack as a direct consequence of "the irresponsible and indiscriminate manner in which Moscow operates these weapon systems in the immediate vicinity of NATO borders." There was no immediate comment from Russia on the incident.