Police and law enforcement investigators are examining the area after a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building in Galatia, western Romania.
Daniel Mihailescu Afp | Getty Images
A Russian airliner crashed into a building in Romania, a NATO member state, early Friday morning.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan said in a post on X Friday morning that he called a meeting of his national defense council in response to what he called “the worst incident affecting the country’s territory” since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022.
The accident happened in Galați, Dan said, a city near the border of Romania and Ukraine.
“We will order equivalent measures against the Russian Federation,” he added, adding that the strike had resulted in casualties. “The unprecedented nature of the event requires a strong, systematic and appropriate response – at the national, collective and international level.”
Dan added that the full responsibility lies with Russia and “the careless and indiscriminate way in which Moscow uses these weapons systems in the area close to NATO’s borders, and the systematic disregard for international law.”
He said that the Romanian armed forces acted according to the established procedure and were under strict orders to shoot down the drone as soon as the conditions allowed. But in the end it was decided not to shoot down the plane because of the “increasing risk of endangering the safety of the people.”
All NATO allies and EU member states have been notified of the incident, Dan said. His government has called for more deployment of NATO anti-drone capabilities to Romania, and will warn the UN Security Council about “repeated violations of international law.”
The apartment building was hit when Russia attacked Ukrainian infrastructure near the border between Romania and Ukraine, a NATO spokesman said Friday morning.
“We condemn Russia’s recklessness, and NATO will continue to strengthen its defense against all threats, including drones,” they said.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is in contact with Romanian authorities, according to a spokesman.
The EU is preparing new sanctions
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her post on X Friday morning that “Russia’s war of aggression has crossed another line.”
“A Russian drone attacked a densely populated area in Romania, harming civilians. In an EU country,” he said. “We stand in full solidarity with Romania and its people. As we continue to strengthen our security and deterrence, especially on our Eastern border, we will continue to increase pressure on Russia.”
Von der Leyen added that the EU is preparing a 21st package of sanctions against Russia.
CNBC has reached out to the Russian government for comment.
Ukraine’s parliament approved a 90 billion euro ($104.6 billion) loan deal with the EU on Thursday.
Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In 2014, Russia invaded and occupied Crimea, a peninsula in southern Ukraine. That same year, fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists.
