Minister: Overnight drone strike on Romania shows Russia a threat to NATO allies
Russia's drone strike on a civilian apartment building in Romania last night is a stark reminder that Russia's aggression does not remain confined to Ukraine alone, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said.
Two people were injured when a drone hit a large apartment block in the eastern city of Galați .
"Russia is growing weaker on the battlefield in its war against Ukraine, yet it continues to pursue its objectives through brutal drone and missile attacks. Putin's increasing nervousness, driven by military setbacks, is dangerous because it raises the risk of serious incidents," Tsahkna said.
Russia may be weakening on the battlefield in Ukraine, but it continues pursuing its goals through brutal drone and missile attacks. Putin's growing nervousness over these failures increases the risk of dangerous incidents.
— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) May 29, 2026
Last night's drone strike on a residential building in…
Russia's actions directly threaten NATO allies as well as Ukraine, Tsahkna noted, meaning continued support for Ukraine by all of its allies and an increased pressure on Russia to call off its aggression are essential.
"This requires adopting a strong 21st EU sanctions package, including a full ban on maritime services for vessels transporting Russian oil and oil products," Tsahkna said, adding it is clear that NATO's deterrence and defense posture, especially air defense, must be strengthened further.
In the aftermath of Thursday night's incident, Estonia remains in close contact with Romania and other allies, the minister said.
A Russian drone struck a large apartment building in Galați, eastern Romania, causing a fire and injuring two people and requiring around 70 residents to be evacuated overnight, with Romania saying this happened during Russian attacks on nearby Ukrainian border areas.
Romania's defense ministry said the drone was tracked before crashing into the building. Romania said it had informed NATO and called for faster delivery of anti-drone defense systems. Romanian Air Force F-16 interceptor jets were scrambled after drones were detected in its airspace during the same wave.
Tonight, a Russian Shahed attack drone hit a NATO member state, striking a Romanian apartment building in the city of Galați. pic.twitter.com/EC8xXZTbQC
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 29, 2026
Romania shares a land and maritime border with Ukraine of over 600 kilometers in two sections, divided by its border with Moldova. Galați lies close to the southern section, and Romania has reported drone fragments landing on its territory nearly 50 times since Russia's full-scale invasion began, including a dozen incidents this year alone, though the overnight incident in Galați was the first to cause injury.
With the brief May 9 ceasefire long gone, Russia has returned to strikes on Ukraine, including an attack on the Ukrainian port of Izmail, close to the Romanian border, early on Friday morning.
As well as drones, Russia has been using missiles such as Oreshnik. The stated intent of striking civilian targets includes trying to sap morale, hit Ukraine's economy, and force the redistribution of air defenses, though Russian strikes are often considered inaccurate. It was a Romanian F-16 based at Šiauliai in Lithuania.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
