A Russian drone attack has raided a building in Romania in the first NATO strike
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A drone crashed into an apartment building on Friday in NATO member Romania, causing an explosion and fire that injured several people, local authorities said.
According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, the incident occurred during Russia’s overnight attack on neighboring Ukraine near the Romanian border.
“The airplane entered Romanian airspace, was tracked by radar systems until it landed in the southern part of the municipality of Galați, and crashed into the roof of a residential building,” the department said.
Romania – a member of NATO and the European Union – has reported more than a dozen incidents involving Russian drones entering its airspace since Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine.
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A fire is burning on the roof of a 10-story apartment building after a drone crashed into the building, causing an explosion and injuring two people, near the Ukrainian border in Galatia, Romania. (Romanian Ministry of Emergency Situations/Handout via REUTERS)
Friday’s incident was the first time a drone attacked a residential area in Romania, causing casualties.
A Romanian news agency reported that a woman and her child were hospitalized with minor injuries, while two other people were treated at the scene for shock.
After the incident, Romania requested more anti-drone powers from NATO and described the drone’s approach as a serious violation of international law, according to the Associated Press.
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Russian personnel are preparing to launch an interceptor drone for an operation in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense News Service via AP)
Emergency services in Romania said the plane hit the building and exploded, starting a fire on the tenth floor.
The agency said the drone’s entire payload exploded.
70 people were evacuated from the building, authorities said. The fire is under control.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the United States and its allies to provide more air defense systems as Russia steps up drone and missile attacks. (Javier SORIANO / AFP via Getty Images)
The Department of Defense said two F-16 fighter jets and a fighter jet were deployed to monitor the Russian attack. Pilots are authorized to shoot down any potential threat aircraft.
The incident came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that he was pressing the United States to provide more Patriot air defense missiles to help counter Russian aggression.
He warned that supplies to Ukraine were falling dangerously low as the conflict with Iran strained US military resources and personnel.
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“I believe [the U.S.] he must act quickly. We persist,” Zelenskyy told reporters during a visit to Sweden.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
