May 29 — The Russian kamikaze drone hit an apartment building in the Romanian city of Galați, located about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the Ukrainian border, injuring a woman who suffered first-degree burns and a 14-year-old boy who experienced an acute stress reaction after the attack, reported Viața Liberă, Romanian media outlet.

The Romanian Defense Ministry confirmed that the drone was Russian. Shortly before the strike on the apartment building, Ukraine’s Air Force had reported a Russian drone attack on the city of Reni, located about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the Romanian border.

According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, radar systems detected drones flying near Romanian airspace overnight. In response, two F-16 fighter jets from the Romanian Air Policing combat service scrambled at 1:19 a.m. from the 86th Air Base in Fetești, supported by an IAR 330 SOCAT helicopter of the Romanian Air Force. 

The Defense Ministry did not clarify whether the fighter jets attempted to down the drone but noted that the pilots were authorized to engage targets throughout the duration of the alert. The drone eventually crashed into the roof of an apartment building, causing a fire.

Nicușor Dan, the President of Romania, has convened an emergency meeting of Romania’s Supreme Defence Council. He claimed that the Russian drone attack on the apartment building was the most serious incident for Romania since Russia invaded Ukraine. 

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, said he had communicated with Dan. “NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory. We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones,” Rutte said. 

On May 25, four days before the attack, Romanian authorities reported finding debris from a Russian drone in Tulcea County, located just a few kilometers (about 10–30 km / 6–19 miles) from the Ukrainian border in the Danube Delta region. The debris damaged an outbuilding and the power grid, but no injuries were reported.

As of May 29, 12:42 p.m., Russian officials haven’t provided any comments on its attack on Romania. 

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