2 injured after Russian drone hits apartment building in Romania

A Russian drone crashed into the roof of a 12-story apartment building in eastern Romania near the Ukrainian border, injuring at least two people and sparking a fire, according to Romanian officials and local media.

The drone entered Romanian airspace during Russian drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine near the river border with Romania, the Romanian Ministry of Defense said. Radar tracked the drone to the southern part of Galați, where it crashed onto the roof of a residential block.

Galați is a city on the Danube River near Romania’s borders with Ukraine and Moldova. Emergency crews, police, intelligence officers and other response teams were sent to the scene after the impact.

Local outlet Viața liberă reported that SAJ Galați, the county ambulance service, confirmed two people needed medical care.

Footage from the scene showed damage to the upper part of the apartment building, with debris visible near the impact area. The Defense Ministry said the impact was followed by a fire.

Romanian military radars had detected drones flying near the country’s airspace during the Russian attack. Two F-16 fighter jets on air policing duty took off from the 86th Air Base in Fetești at 1:19 a.m., supported by an IAR 330 SOCAT helicopter from the Romanian Air Force.

The Defense Ministry said pilots were authorized to engage targets throughout the alert.

An alert told people there was a possibility of objects falling from the surrounding airspace and urged residents to take shelter in basements or shelters.

The incident appears to be the first confirmed Russian drone strike to cause injuries inside a NATO country during the Russia-Ukraine war.