Photo: Aleksandr Gusev / PACIFIC P / SIPA
Overnight on May 29, a drone crashed into a high-rise residential building in the eastern Romanian city of Galați, near the border with Ukraine. Two people were injured in the incident.
Romania’s Defense Ministry, the Romanian Inspectorate for Emergency Situations in Galați, British media outlet GB News, Romanian radio station Pro Lider FM on Facebook, and the outlet Viața Liberă reported this, Rubryka informs.
Romania’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the drone that fell on the apartment building in Galați was Russian.
“On the night of May 28 to 29, the Russian Federation resumed drone attacks on civilian targets and infrastructure facilities in Ukraine near the river border with Romania.
One drone entered Romanian airspace and was tracked by radar to the southern part of Galați, after which it landed on the roof of a residential building. The explosion caused a fire,” Romania’s Defense Ministry said.
Two F-16 fighter jets, supported by an IAR 330 SOCAT helicopter, took off from the Fetești airbase at 01:19 a.m. to intercept the drone. The pilots had permission to engage the target.
After the drone was detected, authorities alerted residents of Tulcea, Galați, and Brăila counties through the Ro-Alert system.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Air Force had reported a Russian drone attack on the Odesa region.
Photo source: Facebook / ProLiderFm
Residents of a building on one of Galați’s streets reportedly woke up in the middle of the night to the distinctive sound of a drone in flight. A loud explosion followed, and a fire broke out on the 10th floor of the building.
Rescuers and police worked at the scene. 70 people were evacuated from the high-rise.
The apartment hit by the drone sustained significant damage. Initial reports said two people suffered minor injuries and an acute stress reaction.
Later, Daniela Enciu, director of the Galați regional ambulance service, clarified that:
A woman suffered first-degree burns
A 14-year-old boy experienced an acute stress reaction
Both injured people are receiving medical assistance.
The Romanian Inspectorate for Emergency Situations in Galați confirmed that a drone had fallen onto a residential building, triggering a fire on the 10th floor, injuries, and the evacuation of residents.
Romanian emergency services said they had extinguished the fire and canceled the “red response plan,” which is introduced in emergencies. Specialists also determined that “the drone’s explosive charge had detonated” and no longer posed a threat.
“The situation is dynamically changing, and we will provide official information and data as soon as they become available,” Romania’s Defense Ministry said.
The straight-line distance between Reni in the Odesa region and Romania’s Galați is about 20 kilometers.
Background
During Russia’s overnight attack on Ukraine on May 2, a Russian drone briefly violated Romanian airspace, prompting the country to scramble F-16 fighter jets and issue an air alert. Ground radars recorded the drone’s brief entry into national airspace near Chilia before it continued moving toward Izmail.
It was also reported that on April 25, during a Russian attack on the Odesa region, drones also flew near the Romanian border. British aircraft patrolling Romanian airspace monitored their movement but did not engage them. Later, drone debris was found in Romanian border areas. Poland also scrambled military aircraft that night because of Russia’s missile attack.
In addition, overnight on April 17, a Russian drone violated Romanian airspace during another Russian attack on Ukraine. The incident occurred near the Ukrainian-Romanian border, in the northern part of the Kiliia branch of the Danube.
