A Russian drone carrying explosives crashed into an apartment building in Romania on Thursday night, resulting in two injuries.
This incident took place in Galași, a southeastern city close to the Ukrainian border, marking the first time since the war began that a Romanian civilian has been injured by a Russian drone attack.
The Romanian Defense Ministry reported tracking the drone as it entered the country’s airspace while Russian forces targeted civilian and infrastructure sites in Ukraine.
In response, two F-16 fighter jets and a Romanian Air Force helicopter were authorized to engage but were unable to intercept the drone before it struck the roof of a building, causing a subsequent fire.
Romanian emergency services confirmed that both injured civilians sustained only minor injuries.
After the explosion, the drone’s entire payload detonated, prompting the evacuation of about 70 residents from the 10-story structure.
As a NATO member sharing a nearly 400-mile border with Ukraine, Romania has recently observed an uptick in incursions by Russian drones.
Data from the Defense Ministry noted that since the beginning of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Romania has recorded 25 airspace violations, collected munitions fragments on 47 occasions, and scrambled aircraft 53 times.
Interestingly, nearly 28% of these airspace violations, along with 23% of the munitions fragment recoveries and 34% of air security missions, occurred in just the first four months of 2026.
Just last month, a Russian drone crashed in a populated area of Galați, but fortunately, there were no reported injuries.
Romanian President Nikxo Dan remarked that the previous month’s crash was significant as it resulted in property damage in Romania, emphasizing the seriousness of such incidents.
