The drone war is once again encroaching on the Ukrainian front, raising alarm on NATO's eastern flank. A Russian drone struck a residential building in Galați last night., in Romania, a member country of the Atlantic Alliance and the European Union, causing aesplosione, a fire and the minor injury to two peopleThe crash occurred during a new wave of Russian drone strikes against civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine's Odessa region, near the river border with Romania.
According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, Moscow had resumed strikes against Ukraine in the area near the border overnight. Shortly before the incident, authorities had issued a warning about the "possibility of falling objects from the surrounding airspace." The drone then crashed into an apartment building, causing an explosion and a fire in a tenth-floor apartment.
Bucharest has denounced a airspace violation and called the episode "a serious and irresponsible escalation." The case is particularly sensitive because it directly involves the territory of a NATO country, already exposed to pressure from the Russian war against Ukraine along the Alliance's eastern flank.
Bucharest summons national defense forces. A Turkish ship was also hit.
Romania informed the NATO Secretary General and has Supreme National Defense Council convened to assess the consequences of the Galați incident. Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan called the incident "unacceptable," denouncing "a new violation of airspace" caused by Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.
The Romanian city is located not far from the Ukrainian region of Odessa and the Danube port area, a recurring target of Russian attacks. For Bucharest and its allies, the drone strike on the residential building thus marks a new escalation in tensions on Europe's eastern flank, where the conflict continues to have direct effects beyond Ukrainian territory.
At the same time, Russian pressure also affected commercial shipping out of Ukraine. drone hit merchant ship Ant, flying the flag of Vanuatu but of Turkish property, while it had departed from a port in the Odessa region and was headed for Turkey with a cargo on board. The impact caused a fire and injured two crew members, who were later evacuated by Ukrainian Navy vessels and taken to a medical facility.
EU, Von der Leyen: "Another limit has been crossed."
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen accused Moscow of having crossed a new thresholdRussia's war of aggression has crossed another line. A Russian drone strike has hit a densely populated area in Romania, injuring civilians. On EU soil. We stand in full solidarity with Romania and its people." Von der Leyen then announced that Brussels will continue to increase pressure on Russia, including with the preparation of a 21st sanctions package.
La NATO condemned Moscow's "recklessness" and assured that it will continue to strengthen defenses against all threats, including drones. Secretary-General Mark Rutte, after a meeting with Romanian President Nicusor Dan, declared: “I assured him of NATO's full solidarity and expressed my closeness to the people injured in the accident. I reiterated that the NATO is ready to defend every inch of allied territoryRussia’s irresponsible behavior poses a danger to all of us.”
Support for Bucharest also came fromUS Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, who condemned the "reckless incursion" into Romanian territory: "We stand with our NATO ally, Romania. Our thoughts are with the wounded in Galati. We will defend every inch of NATO territory".
Meloni: "This is a very serious act." Crosetto: "This escalation is unacceptable."
The Italian government's reaction was also harsh. The Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni he called the attack in Romania “a very serious act", underlining the risk that Russia's war against Ukraine will continue to spread its effects beyond the borders of the conflict. "Last night, a Russian drone struck a civilian building in Romania, injuring two citizens on the territory of an allied state and member of the European Union. This is a very serious act, which demonstrates how this war of aggression spares no one, continuing to brutally target innocent civilians, ignoring every limit and putting European security at risk," the Prime Minister declared. Meloni then expressed "my deepest sympathy and solidarity" to those affected, to the government, and to the Romanian people.
On the same line is the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, who spoke of a “dangerous and irresponsible escalation which cannot be tolerated." Crosetto expressed "the strongest condemnation" for the Russian drone that fell on a residential building in Galați, causing two injuries, "including a minor," and reiterated Italy's solidarity with Romanian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Radu-Dinel Mirută and Romania. For the Defense Minister, faced with these threats, "NATO's cohesion remains unshakeable“, because “the security of a member of the Alliance and the European Union is the security of us all”.
Even the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani "strongly condemned the violation of Romanian airspace by a Russian drone”, asking Moscow for “a serious commitment to a just and lasting peace”.
The Kremlin rejects European mediation: "It is a party to the conflict."
Meanwhile, from Moscow, the The Kremlin rejects the idea of a European role in mediating the conflict in Ukraine.According to Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Europe cannot act as a neutral interlocutor because it is "fighting alongside Kiev."
“At the moment, Europe is a party to the conflict alongside Ukraine. Let's not forget that European weapons are shooting directly at us, and it is impossible to ignore this,” Peskov said, quoted by Interfax. Hence the Kremlin's conclusion: “Therefore, obviously, in this situation, theEurope cannot pretend to mediate in any way".
