Overview
- Romanian authorities said the drone was tracked into Galați and crashed onto the roof of a 10‑storey apartment building during the night of May 28–29, 2026, causing a fire, injuring two people and forcing about 70 residents to evacuate.
- Two F‑16 fighters and a military helicopter were scrambled and pilots were authorised to engage the drones but Romanian officials said they chose not to shoot to avoid endangering civilians on the ground.
- Bucharest has summoned the Russian ambassador, convened a national defence council meeting and formally asked NATO and EU partners to speed delivery of anti‑drone systems, calling the incident a serious escalation.
- NATO and EU leaders condemned the strike as reckless, with officials stressing the attack appears linked to Russian drone operations targeting Ukrainian Danube ports near Izmail that have repeatedly breached Romanian airspace.
- Analysts and officials warn the event raises pressure on the alliance to close air‑defence gaps and could widen political and military costs if more drones drift into neighbouring NATO countries.