Romanian authorities have reported that a drone crashed into a ten-story apartment building in the southeastern city of Galati during Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, causing an explosion and a fire that injured two people, Reuters reports.
Romania, a member of both NATO and the European Union, shares a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine, and Russian drones have violated Romanian airspace 28 times since Moscow began its attacks on Ukrainian ports across the Danube.
This is the first time a drone has hit a densely populated area in Romania, injuring people, and the incident is expected to increase tensions on NATO’s eastern flank.
Romanian emergency services reported early on the 29th of May that a fire broke out in an apartment on the tenth floor after the drone crashed into the building. Two people received medical treatment at the scene, two were taken to a hospital, and another 70 were evacuated. The fire is believed to have been caused by the detonation of explosives attached to the drone. Raed Arafat, Romania’s deputy interior minister responsible for emergency services, told the private news agency Dig24 that
the drone’s impact damaged two stairwells and five cars.
Local authorities in southern Ukraine reported heavy airstrikes on the port of Izmail in the Odessa region on the morning of the 29th of May. Izmail is the largest Ukrainian port on the Danube and is frequently targeted by Moscow.
The last time a drone flew into Galati was in April, when it damaged a power pole and an outbuilding. At that time, authorities temporarily evacuated nearby residents while the drone was taken to a remote location to destroy the explosives.
The Romanian Defense Ministry reported on the 29th of May that two F-16 fighter jets and an army helicopter had been scrambled and the pilots had been ordered to shoot down the drones. A warning was issued to residents of border areas about the danger in the airspace.
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