Fighter jets scrambled after Russian drone smashes into block of flats | World | News

A Russian drone crashed into a Romanian apartment block overnight, intensifying fears within NATO that Moscow’s war in Ukraine is increasingly spreading to the alliance’s eastern border.

A drone ripped through the roof of a residential tower in the city of Galati, injuring two people and forcing dozens from their homes, during a new wave of Russian attacks near Romania’s border with Ukraine.

Romanian authorities confirmed the plane entered the country’s airspace before crashing into an apartment block shortly after 1am local time on Friday, sparking a fire and a major emergency response.

While the 14-year-old boy, who had a panic attack during the crash and evacuation, was being treated, the woman suffered first-degree burns. Both were later taken to hospital for further care.

The incident triggered immediate military intervention by Bucharest; NATO member Romania activated its warplanes and deployed air assets after its radar systems tracked the drone’s route to its territory.

The Romanian Defense Ministry said the latest incident occurred during Russia’s renewed offensive against targets near the Danube river corridor in neighboring Ukraine.

The Ministry said: “On the night between May 28 and May 29, the Russian Federation resumed drone attacks against civilian and infrastructure targets near the river border with Romania in Ukraine.

“One of these unmanned aerial vehicles, tracked by radar, entered Romanian airspace towards the southern area of ​​the city of Galati and crashed into the roof of an apartment block, a fire broke out after the impact.

“Two F-16 aircraft from the Air Police combat service took off from Air Base 86 in Fetești at 1.19 in the morning, with the support of the IAR 330 SOCAT helicopter of the Romanian Air Force.

“Pilots were authorized to attack targets throughout the warning.”

This deployment underscores how seriously NATO states are responding to air strikes near the alliance’s eastern border, especially as Russia continues large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure close to bordering countries.

Why is Galati strategically sensitive for NATO?

According to GB News, Galati is located in the east of Romania, close to Ukraine and Moldova, near one of the most contested logistics corridors of the war.

The region is located close to the Danube river routes, which have become critical for Ukraine’s grain exports and military supply lines after Russia’s repeated attacks on Black Sea infrastructure.

Romania, which shares more than 380 miles of border with Ukraine, has repeatedly faced security concerns linked to falling debris, suspicious drone strikes and airspace violations since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Parts of Russian unmanned aerial vehicles were previously found on Romanian territory following attacks on Ukrainian ports along the Danube River.

However, the latest incident is one of the most serious reported cases involving a direct attack on a residential building in Romania.

Military analysts are increasingly warning that Russia’s sustained drone operations close to NATO territory raise the risk of miscalculation or escalating tensions, even if the attacks are unintentional.

The Alliance has significantly strengthened air policing missions in Eastern Europe since the start of the invasion; It deployed additional warplanes, surveillance systems and rapid response capabilities to member states bordering Ukraine and Russia.

What happened in the apartment block?

Romanian emergency services responded within minutes of residents receiving Ro-Alert emergency alerts early Thursday morning.

While firefighters intervened in the fire that broke out due to the impact, approximately 70 people were evacuated from the building.

While police officers, ambulance teams and Romania’s SMURD emergency response teams took security measures at the scene, explosives experts and forensic medicine investigators also searched the debris.

Officials from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the National Institute of Forensic Sciences were also assigned to examine whether unexploded material remained inside the building.

Experts concluded that the drone’s entire explosive charge detonated on impact, reducing fears of a secondary explosion, according to local newspaper Viata Libera.

Galati police confirmed the incident in a statement to Romanian media.

The following statements were made in the statement: “A short time ago, a drone crashed into an apartment block in Galati Municipality, and after the impact, an explosion and fire broke out in an apartment on the 10th floor.

“Forces and police, with support from other MIA forces and specialist SRI teams, are responding to the scene to limit the impact of the incident and secure the area.

“Two people in the burning flat evacuated themselves.”

How does this fit into the broader scope of drone events?

The Galati attack came just hours after another drone crashed into the town of Baseti, Maramures County, Romania.

Authorities secured the area and launched an immediate investigation into the plane’s origin.

The mayor of Baseti told Romanian media that the drone had a “wingspan of around three metres”, suggesting it was significantly larger than many commercially adapted drones seen elsewhere in the conflict.

The two incidents in Romania are part of a broader pattern of drone-related security concerns affecting NATO countries bordering Russia and Ukraine.

Last week, Lithuania issued emergency shelter warnings after a drone entered its airspace; This was the first known instance of a NATO member state ordering civilians into hiding due to a suspected drone threat.

A warning was issued in Lithuania’s Parliament building in Vilnius to send ministers and MPs to shelter while NATO systems tracked the plane.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said: “The NATO Air Police Mission has been activated and is targeting a drone detected in Lithuanian airspace.”

The drone was never located and authorities remained uncertain whether it had crashed or left Lithuanian territory.

The day before, Estonia announced that Romanian warplanes shot down a drone over its territory; officials suspected it might have been a Ukrainian rocket blown off course due to Russian interference.

Earlier this month, two Ukrainian drones struck an oil storage site in Latvia after reportedly being infected by Russian electronic warfare systems.

What did Europe say about Russia’s drone strategy?

European leaders increasingly accuse Moscow of using sustained drone strikes and hybrid tactics to pressure NATO states and test alliances’ responses.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the increasing number of incidents as she took to the stage with leaders from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

He said: “This is a deliberate strategy by Russia to seek to destabilize our democratic societies.

“While the Baltic countries are being tested, the whole of Europe is being tested.”

Moscow accused the Baltic states of allowing Ukraine to use its “air corridors” to launch attacks against Russian targets; Authorities in Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius denied these allegations.

The latest incident in Romania is likely to intensify calls for tougher air defense measures along NATO’s eastern border as concerns grow about the possibility of future attacks spreading to member states.