LONDON, May 29, 2026 — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Russia on Friday after an explosive-laden Russian drone crossed into Romanian airspace and struck a residential apartment building in the eastern city of Galati — injuring two civilians and marking the first time anyone has been hurt in a Russian drone incursion into Romanian territory since the war in Ukraine began.
“Last night a Russian drone entered Romanian airspace and hit a residential building, injuring civilians,” Starmer wrote on X. “Time and again, Russia has shown it has no regard for civilian life, international law, or sovereignty of its neighbours. We stand with Ukraine, Romania and all NATO allies.”
In an official statement released by Downing Street, Starmer called the drone’s flight “a serious violation of NATO airspace” and said Russia’s aggression “threatens the security of our entire continent.” He added: “That must not be allowed to stand.”
What Happened in Galati
The drone struck the roof of an apartment building in Galati, a Romanian city of approximately 230,000 people situated roughly 10 miles from the Ukrainian border, during an overnight Russian attack on nearby Ukrainian port infrastructure across the Danube River. The impact was followed by a fire. Romanian emergency services confirmed two people suffered injuries — a 53-year-old woman and her 14-year-old son, both treated at hospital for burns and in stable condition. Several other residents were evacuated.
Romania’s Defense Ministry said the drone was tracked by radar and flew in Romanian airspace for approximately four minutes before the explosives on board detonated on impact with the building. Two Romanian F-16s were deployed and pilots were authorized to engage targets throughout the alert, the ministry said. Authorities secured the perimeter and an investigation is underway.
The incident marks the 28th time Russian drones have breached Romanian airspace since Russia began attacking Ukrainian ports across the Danube, according to CNN. While Romania has confirmed drone fragments on its territory on multiple previous occasions — including in Galati as recently as April 2026 — no one had previously been hurt in any of those incidents, as many drones landed in remote or uninhabited areas.
Romania’s Response
Romanian President Nicusor Dan convened the country’s Supreme Council of National Defense for an emergency meeting on Friday, calling the incident “the worst incident to hit the national territory” since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and blamed Russia directly, according to NPR. Romania’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador in Bucharest and demanded an explanation.
Gen. Gheorghe Maxim, acting commander of Romania’s joint military staff, said at a press conference that the incident “is not an attack from Russia against Romania” in an intentional sense — but added that “Romanians should understand that Russia is a threat to the security of the entire region.” Romania called on NATO allies to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to the Romanian military in response.
NATO and Allied Condemnation
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker called the strike a “reckless incursion” and reaffirmed the alliance’s collective defense commitment. “We will defend every inch of NATO territory,” Whitaker wrote on X. The European Union also condemned the strike, with senior officials calling it a deliberate escalation of Russian aggression against NATO member states.
The Kremlin acknowledged the incident. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin “is aware of the UAV incident in Romania,” according to Russian state news agency TASS, but offered no apology or explanation.
Starmer’s statement was among the first and strongest from European leaders. The UK’s formal condemnation — issued directly from 10 Downing Street — described Russia’s conduct as a pattern of behavior incompatible with international law and called on the international community to hold Moscow accountable.
An Escalating Pattern
Friday’s incident is the most serious in a pattern of Russian drone incursions into NATO member territory that has been escalating throughout the war. Romania has been particularly exposed given its geography — sharing a long stretch of the Danube River border with Ukraine’s Odesa region, where Russian drone attacks on port infrastructure have been a near-nightly occurrence.
In September 2025, NATO began additional surveillance of Romanian airspace by deploying an Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft after a surge in incursions. Poland has also reported Russian drones entering its airspace on multiple occasions, including a September 2025 incident that prompted Warsaw to invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty — calling for consultations among alliance members over a threat to territorial integrity.
Article 5 — the collective defense clause that treats an attack on one NATO member as an attack on all — has not been invoked. But the growing frequency and now the human cost of Russian drone incursions into alliance territory has put the question of NATO’s threshold for response at the center of the alliance’s internal debates heading into the Ankara summit later this year.