NATO accused Moscow of reckless behavior Friday after Romania reported a Russian drone crashed into a 10-story apartment block in Galati, near the border with Ukraine, during an overnight attack on Ukrainian port infrastructure. A woman and a child suffered minor injuries in what is the first incident of its kind in a densely populated area of a NATO country.
Secretary General Mark Rutte affirmed NATO is ready to defend every inch of Allied territory and will consider additional defensive measures, but did not invoke the alliance's mutual defense clause. Romanian President Nicusor Dan announced the closure of the Russian consulate in Constanta and the expulsion of its consul.
Russian officials denied the allegations, with Dmitry Medvedev warning European leaders that drones would continue to stray across their borders. Romania scrambled two F-16 jets and dispatched a military helicopter, but determined that existing anti-drone systems were not yet fully integrated for safe use in urban areas. The drone spent four minutes in Romanian airspace, flying low for 10 kilometers, making radar detection difficult.