Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has declared the alliance ready to defend “every inch” of allied territory after a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Romania, a Nato member state, during an overnight attack on neighbouring Ukraine. The incident in Galați injured two people and prompted swift condemnation from Romanian and European leaders.
“Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all,” Rutte wrote on social media after speaking with Romanian president Nicuşor Dan. Dan convened an emergency meeting of the supreme council of national defence, and the foreign ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador. Romania’s foreign minister Oana Țoiu warned of consequences for diplomatic relations and called for accelerated transfer of anti-drone capabilities from Nato.
The Romanian defence ministry said the drone was tracked by radar in Romanian airspace before crashing into the roof of a residential building, sparking a fire and forcing evacuations. The military scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a helicopter authorised to engage targets. Romania suggested it might invoke Article 4 of the Nato treaty, triggering formal consultations on threats to its security.
President Dan said Romania would not accept the war in Ukraine being transferred to its citizens. The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen condemned Russia’s “war of aggression” crossing yet another line, while Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the incident proved Russia poses a real threat to the whole of Europe.
Russia denied involvement, with President Vladimir Putin suggesting without evidence that the drone might have been a stray Ukrainian weapon. The strike is the latest example of the war spilling beyond Ukraine’s borders, as Nato reaffirms its commitment to collective defence.
