An explosive-laden Russian drone crashed into an apartment building in Romania on Thursday night, injuring two people. This incident marks a significant moment as it is the first occurrence of Romanian civilians being harmed by a Russian drone strike since the war commenced.
The drone strike occurred in Galati, a southeastern city close to the Ukrainian border. According to Romania’s Ministry of Defense, the drone was detected entering Romanian airspace while Russian forces targeted civilian and infrastructure sites across the Ukrainian border.
In response, two F-16 fighter jets and a Romanian Air Force helicopter were dispatched with orders to neutralize the threat. However, the drone managed to collide with the rooftop of the residential building, igniting a fire, the ministry reported.
Romanian emergency services confirmed that the two individuals injured in the incident sustained only minor injuries, as Reuters reported. Authorities also highlighted that the drone’s entire explosive load was detonated, leading to the evacuation of approximately 70 residents from the 10-story building.
The two civilians hurt in the incident suffered minor injuries, Romanian emergency services officials said, according to Reuters.
The officials noted that the drone’s entire explosive payload detonated and around 70 people had to be evacuated from the 10-story building.
Romania, a member of NATO that shares about 400 miles of border with Ukraine, has recently reported an uptick in Russian drone incursions.
Romania has recorded 25 airspace violations, recovered munition fragments 47 times, and has had to scramble aircraft 53 times since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to data the ministry of defense provided ABC News earlier this month.
However, about 28% of airspace violations, 23% of munition fragment discoveries and nearly 34% of air policing missions have occurred in the first four months of 2026.
Just last month, a Russian drone crashed in a populated area of Galati but there were no reports of injuries.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan said the April crash was “the first incident where Romanian property has actually been damaged, a threshold we take very seriously.”
