Two injured by the impact of a Russian drone in Romania, a member of the EU and NATO

BarcelonaA Russian drone hit a building in the Romanian city of Galati, near the border with Ukraine, early this morning, causing a fire that left two people slightly injured, according to the Balkan country's authorities. Romania's emergency services, which is a member of the European Union and NATO, detailed that the drone hit the tenth floor of a residential building and forced the evacuation of 70 people.

For now, it is unclear whether it was a drone that deviated accidentally or if the incident was calculated. "It's too early to know," explains Garvan Walshe, an associate researcher at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, who recalls that this is not the first time a Russian drone has entered Romanian territory. "Sometimes they are drones that get lost and sometimes they are aerial incursions that are used to see what the reactions are," he details. Be that as it may, in more than four years of war, this is the first time a Russian unmanned aircraft has injured civilians in the territory of the European Union and a NATO member state.

Shortly after the impact, firefighters rushed to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire, while the injured were taken to a nearby hospital. "Residents will not be able to return home until technicians finish the inspections, including of the building's structure," assured Raed Arafat, head of the Department for Emergency Situations, to the portal Digi24.ro early this morning.

During the more than four years of war between Moscow and Kyiv, some drones, both Russian and Ukrainian, have entered the territory of countries bordering UkraineVolodymyr Zelensky has already offered support "in any form" to Romania, which considers it a "serious and irresponsible escalation" by Russia, as expressed by the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Toiu Oana, in a message on social media. The Romanian President, Nicușor Dan, has made it clear that the country will not accept the war being transferred to its citizens, and has assured that he has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to present new measures regarding the country's relationship with Russia "proportional to this serious situation".

During the more than four years of war between Moscow and Kyiv, some drones, both Russian and Ukrainian, have entered the territory of countries bordering Ukraine. To avoid future incidents like the one this Friday, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked its allies and NATO to "accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania", as explained by the ministry itself.

The anti-drone system has not been activated

Before the impact, an emergency alert was issued upon detecting drones near Romanian airspace, and two F-16 fighter jets took off from the Fetesti military base, reports the Romanian Ministry of Defense. "The aircraft pilots had authorization to attack targets throughout the alert period," it adds. However, the drone was not shot down before it reached Galati.

The systems for intercepting unmanned aircraft were not activated, as explained by the Romanian authorities. "It seems the drone was in Romanian airspace for a very short time, and there would not have been enough time to activate the anti-drone system," Walshe details. In addition to the short timeframe, Brigadier General Gheorghe Maxim assured that it would have been "too risky" to use this system within a city. "There is a danger that by shooting at the drone over a highly populated area, the interception could cause more damage than the impact at a specific point in the city," explains the researcher.

So, what is the solution for the Romanian populations near Ukraine? Walshe points out that it would be necessary to "extend the distance at which Romania tracks Russian drones", and to extend it "several kilometers into Ukraine, before they enter its territory". He assures that, in addition to being necessary, it is a feasible option, since Kyiv has shown itself predisposed to collaborate on similar issues with countries bordering Ukraine.

Parallel to this episode, during the night and early morning, constant attacks between Russia and Ukraine have again impacted the port of Izmail, in the Odessa region. This is the largest Ukrainian port on the Danube River, which Moscow regularly attacks. Also in Odessa, Kyiv has reported a "deliberate" attack on a Turkish ship in the Black Sea. And in Russian territory, at least five civilians have died in a massive drone attack by Ukraine across several points in Russia.