NATO members condemn Russia after drone slams into Romania apartment building, wounding two

By Kathleen Magramo, CNN

(CNN) — An explosive-laden Russian drone hit an apartment building in Romania early Friday, injuring two people, its government said, as Moscow’s forces attacked a nearby Ukrainian port.

The strike drew swift condemnation from the European Union and NATO, with US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker calling the strike a “reckless incursion.”

“We will defend every inch of NATO territory,” he said on X.

Meanwhile, Bucharest is urging its allies to help with its anti-drone defenses, tapping into growing concerns that Russia’s war in Ukraine could spill deeper into the continent.

The drone hit the roof of a building in Galati, near the border with Ukraine, a Romanian defense ministry spokesperson told CNN affiliate Antena 3 CNN.

“This drone entered national airspace at 1:54 a.m. and headed toward the eastern area of the city of Galati, but we lost it from radar south of Galati,” Colonel Cristian Popovici said.

Romanian Foreign Affairs Minster Oana-Silvia Toiu said in a post on X she had “confirmation from the Ministry of National Defence that the drone which crashed into a residential building in Galati was of Russian origin.”

The roof of the apartment block was visibly charred, video footage showed, while response teams and investigators inspected the site of impact Friday morning. The Romanian military said there was “no opportunity” to shoot down the drone, but stressed that the “situation is under control.”

“We are not facing an attack on Romania, we are facing the effects of a conflict taking place right next to our border,” said Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces Command Brigadier General Gheorghe Maxim.

Galati sits on the border of Ukraine in Romania’s far southeast. Just across the border lies Izmail, ⁠home to the largest Ukrainian port on ‌the river Danube and a frequent target of Russian attacks.

Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha said the incident “proved once again that Russian aggression poses a real threat to the Black Sea region and the entire Europe.”

Speaking to Reuters from Galati, Stephen Evelyn, an American national who now lives there, called the episode “another provocation by the Russians,” and that “NATO needs to do something about this.”

Around the same time as the drone crashed into the apartment in Galati, Ukrainian authorities said the Izmail port area had come under Russian drone attack.

Romanian radars detected drones that were in Romanian airspace, according to the ministry statement. Two F-16 aircraft were deployed and the pilots were authorized to engage targets throughout the alert.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is aware of the UAV incident in Romania,” Russian state news agency TASS reported. Putin later said in a news conference that the “aircraft has not yet been examined” and “it has nothing to do with Russian drones.”

Romania, a former part of the communist Eastern Bloc, is a member of both NATO and the European Union.

Members of NATO – the transatlantic defense pact which employs the principle that an attack on one is an attack on all – have found themselves increasingly responding to Russian drones and missiles that have either entered their airspace or come down in their territory, ramping up tensions with Moscow.

‘Irresponsible escalation’

Toiu said the foreign ministry has summoned Russia’s ambassador in Bucharest and that Russia’s action “represents a serious and irresponsible escalation.” Later Friday, Romanian president Nicușor Dan declared a Russian consul in the southeastern seaside city of Constanța “a persona non grata” and said the consulate “will close.”

Toiu added Romania has requested from the EU and NATO “measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities” to the country.

“Romania will act with the utmost determination to increase international pressure on the Russian Federation with a view to achieving an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire” in the Ukraine-Russia war, the statement said.

NATO and the EU said Moscow has yet again crossed a line.

The alliance’s spokesperson Allison Hart said its secretary-general is in touch with Romanian authorities following the incident.

“We condemn Russia’s recklessness, and NATO will continue to strengthen our defences against all threats, including drones,” Hart said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it is preparing sanctions on Moscow and added “Russia’s war of aggression has crossed yet another line.”

European countries were also swift to condemn Russia.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has also summoned Russia’s ambassador, and condemned Russia’s “irresponsible act,” telling public broadcaster France Inter that Moscow has “targeted a friendly country, an EU and NATO member.”

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics also condemned the Russian drone strike and said it “stands in full solidarity with our ally Romania and is prepared to support appropriate measures to prevent such violations.”

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “a serious violation of NATO airspace” and condemned Russia’s actions. “Time and again, Russia has shown it has no regard for civilian life, for international law, or for the sovereignty of its neighbors,” he said.

Russian drones have breached Romania’s airspace 28 times since Moscow began attacking Kyiv’s ports across the Danube, Romania’s defense ministry said on Friday, according to the Reuters news agency.

In September 2025, NATO fighter jets shot down multiple Russian drones that violated Polish airspace during an attack on neighboring Ukraine. The military alliance denounced Moscow for “absolutely dangerous” behavior that ratcheted up tensions to a new level.

Days after that incident, Romania condemned Moscow’s “irresponsible actions” after alleging that a Russian drone breached Romanian airspace during an attack on Ukraine, prompting Bucharest to scramble fighter jets.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Kara Fox, Daria Tarasova-Markina, Stephanie Halasz and Anna Chernova contributed reporting.

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