A Russian drone slammed into an apartment building in Galați, Romania on the night of May 28, injuring a mother and her 14-year-old son. Less than 24 hours later, Romanian President Nicușor Dan announced the closure of the Russian consulate general in Constanța and declared Russia’s consul there persona non grata.
This marks the most serious military incident on Romanian territory since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
What happened on the ground
The drone struck a residential block in Galați, a city in eastern Romania near the Ukrainian border. Two civilians were injured, making this the first time the Russia-Ukraine conflict produced physical casualties on NATO member Romania’s soil.
Romanian authorities scrambled two F-16 fighter jets in response. They did not engage the drone, reportedly due to risks to civilians on the ground.
