May 29, 2026 — 16:31 UTC | Last updated May 29, 2026
Nato has condemned Russia’s “reckless behaviour” after a drone crashed into and exploded inside a Romanian apartment block in the early hours of Thursday — Romania’s president calling it the most serious incident on his country’s territory since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began nearly three years ago.
The strike wounded two people, both Romanian nationals, both now in hospital. Romanian foreign minister Vasile Soia said Thursday morning that Russia bears full responsibility: “The drone crash is the full responsibility of the Russian Federation.”
The drone, apparently Russian, struck the residential building in Galați, close to Romania’s Black Sea coast and directly across the Danube from active combat zones in southern Ukraine. Emergency services attended the scene. Army sapper teams were deployed to the site to secure and inspect the debris for drones that may have been operating in the area overnight.
Romania, a Nato member whose eastern border flanks active war zones, will hold an emergency government session Thursday to address what officials are calling a significant escalation of the conflict onto allied sovereign soil.
- Romania emergency session — government convenes Thursday after drone strike; defence council to assess response options
- Nato statement — Alliance says Russia’s conduct is “reckless” and reiteratesArticle 5 readiness commitments to Romania
- Two injured — both Romanian nationals, now in hospital; building partially evacuated
- Soia: “The drone crash is fully the responsibility of the Russian Federation”
- Context: Romania has seen multiple confirmed drone incursions since 2024; Thursday’s strike is the most significant to date
Galați lies approximately 40km north of the Danube Delta and has faced repeated airspace violations as Ukraine targets Russian positions across southern Ukraine. Romania, alongside Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, has been lobbying Nato for increased air policing assets and a more assertive allied posture on its eastern flank as drone incursions intensify.
Nato’s statement confirmed the Alliance was in close contact with Romanian authorities: “We stand ready to defend every inch of allied territory,” a Nato official said in Brussels. The Alliance’s upgraded battlegroup in Romania — aig-n in the eastern town of Deveselu — remains operational and equipped to respond to threats.
The strike comes as Nato and European defence ministers are already dealing with a wave of incidents across the continent: Latvia scrambled warplanes Wednesday after two Russian SU-24 bombers entered Nato Baltic airspace near Latvia’s exclusive economic zone; a separate Ukrainian drone incursion into Poland’s airspace triggered protests from Warsaw. Ukraine’s own air force reported fending off a large overnight Russian strike using MiG and F-16 aircraft.
The UN Security Council was expected to hold an emergency session Thursday afternoon at Romania’s request. Western officials said the strike would be raised as part of a broader Nato discussion on Russia’s pattern of cross-border operations.
Soia’s statement came as European Union foreign ministers prepared to hold an extraordinary session Friday on escalating border incidents across the continent, and whether Nato’s Article 5 mutual defence obligations could be triggered if further strikes cause casualties on allied soil.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called the Romanian strike “further evidence that this war does not respect borders” and renewed his call on Nato allies to accelerate air defence deliveries to Kyiv. “Every day we delay is a day Russian drones get closer to Nato territory,” he said in a post on X.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Thursday it was monitoring the situation “very closely” and was in direct contact with Romanian counterparts. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to address Parliament on Thursday afternoon.
The Russian defence ministry had not issued a public statement at time of publication. A Kremlin spokesman said Russia “does not Comment on operational details of the special military operation” when asked for reaction by Reuters.
Sources: BBC News Europe live blog (May 29, 2026, updated 16:19 BST) · Euronews live wire (updates May 29, 14:31-15:00 CET) · Reuters (May 29, 14:39 BST) · Nato statement as reported by NATO.int · Romanian government statement via GECAM Press · UN Security Council agenda item as listed May 29, 2026.
Written by Sarah Mitchell, Chief Opinion Columnist
