A Russian drone has smashed into an apartment block in Romania, a key NATO member, and left multiple people injured.A fire erupted from the 10-storey block after the unprecedented strike as the NATO alliance scrambled fighter jets to respond to the “serious violation”.The heavy impact resulted in the first confirmed civilian injuries, reportedly a woman and child, by the Kremlin on NATO territory since the start of Vladimir Putin’s war.The attack drone is believed to have veered into Romania and struck the roof of the apartment complex in Galati as part of an overnight attack on neighbouring Ukraine.Two people in the building were injured as dozens had to be evacuated, Romanian authorities said.But Moscow has shrugged off any blame saying the Wets was causing a “fuss” and “unsubstantiated”.Romania’s Foreign Ministry called the dangerous drone attack a “serious violation of international law“.They added: “This incident represents a serious and irresponsible escalation on the part of the Russian Federation”.Romania’s president said on Friday that the Russian consul general would be expelled from the Black Sea city of Constanta.“Russia bears full responsibility for this incident … In light of this situation, the Russian Federation’s Consul General in Constanta has been declared persona non grata, and the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Constanta will be closed,” President Nicusor Dan said in a video statement.NATO’s Article 5, which demands discussions which could lead to a military response, was not enacted as the drone appeared to be a one off incident. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called Russia’s actions dangerous as he said all of NATO “must defend ourselves against” Putin.The drone was tracked by radar in Romanian airspace before it collided with the building and sparked a fire which resulted in the building being evacuated.The Romanian military scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a helicopter in response at around 1.19am local time.They confirmed that all military personnel in the sky were authorised to engage with enemy targets.Galati sits on the Danube River to the east of the Moldova and Ukraine borders.Crossed a lineEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the drone strike shows that Vladimir Putin has crossed another line in the war.“A Russian drone incursion struck a densely populated area in Romania, injuring civilians on EU territory.”Ms von der Leyen added that she is now preparing another set of sanctions to impose on Russia – marking the 21st since the war began in February 2022.NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said: “We condemn Russia’s recklessness, and NATO will continue to strengthen our defences against all threats, including drones”.Meanwhile, NATO chief Mark Rutte pledged the alliance’s “absolute solidarity” in a call with Romania’s president on Friday.“I affirmed that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory,” Mr Rutte said. “We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones.”Russia is preparing a response to Romania’s move to eject a Russian diplomat over the incident. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the state RIA news agency: “Retaliatory measures in response to the declaration of the Russian Consul General as persona non grata and the closure of the Consulate General will not be long in coming”.Zakharova also cast doubt on whether Russia was even involved. “All the accusations we hear, particularly about drones somewhere in the European Union countries, are all unsubstantiated; not a single fact, material, or evidence has been presented.”It comes after multiple reports of rogue drones being seen over or striking NATO nations.Last week, flights were grounded at a major European airport after a drone sighting sparked a “shelter in place” warning.The Lithuanian army urged citizens to take care of their loved ones as a deadly drone attempted to violate the country’s airspace.A day earlier, a NATO fighter jet was forced to shoot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia.Kyiv were quick to blame Russia for forcing its drones into Estonian airspace.Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Heorhii Tykhyi said: “Russia continues to redirect Ukrainian drones into the Baltics with the use of its electronic warfare”.“We apologise to Estonia and all of our Baltic friends for such unintended incidents.”– With The Sun and AFP