NATO has assured to ‘defend every inch of allied territory’ after a Russian drone hit a Romanian apartment block and injured two people in an overnight attack on neighbouring Ukraine.
Following the incident in Galati, western Romania, Vladimir Putin was declared a ‘real threat’ to the entirety of Europe by Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiga.
Romania responded by saying it could invoke NATO’s Article 4, which allows members of the alliance to open formal discussions about threats to its security.
The episode marked the first time in the war that a drone had hit a densely populated area in Romania and caused injuries.
It is likely to increase tensions on NATO’s eastern flank at a time when Ukraine’s allies are worried about Moscow’s war on its neighbour spilling over its borders.
The drone hit the roof of a ten-storey block of flats and caused an explosion, leading to the evacuation of 70 residents.
‘Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all,’ NATO chief Mark Rutte said after a call with the Romanian president, Nicuşor Dan.
‘I affirmed that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of allied territory.’
‘The recent incursion of a Russian drone into the Romanian airspace and its explosion… proved once again that Russian aggression poses a real threat to the Black Sea region and the entire Europe,’ Sybiga said in a post on X.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen joined the chorus of condemnation, saying Russia’s ‘war of aggression has crossed yet another line’.
