Extract from ABC News
Two people have been injured after a Russian drone crashed into an apartment complex in a Romanian city. (Reuters: Romanian Department for Emergency Situations)
In short:
A Russian drone has hit an apartment building in a Romanian city bordering Ukraine, wounding a teenage boy and woman in her 50s.
Romania, a NATO member, was joined in condemning the incident by NATO chief Mark Rutte and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.
What's next?
Romania's defence ministry has said it is working to "accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania".
A Russian drone has struck an apartment building in NATO-member Romania, wounding two people in the latest spillover from the war in Ukraine and prompting strong condemnation from the alliance and the European Union.
Romania summoned the Russian ambassador and President Nicusor Dan convened a national defence council meeting to discuss "the most serious incident to have affected our national territory" since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Later Mr Dan announced he had expelled the Russian consul general in the Black Sea city of Constanta and closed the mission.
"Russia bears full responsibility for this incident… In light of this situation, the Russian Federation's Consul General in Constanta has been declared persona non grata, and the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Constanta will be closed," Dan said in a video statement.
The drone smashed into the apartment building in the city of Galati, close to the border with Ukraine, sparking a fire and sending a 14-year-old boy and a 53-year-old woman to hospital with serious injuries, officials said.
Romania summoned the Russian ambassador and European allies condemned the crash. (Reuters: Inquam Photos)
Drone incursions in Romania have been detected dozens of times since the start of the Russian offensive against Ukraine in 2022, but the strike marked the first time a residential building has been hit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the drone incident in Romania, the state-run TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
TASS later reported foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova indicated Russia would respond swiftly to Romania's decision to close the consulate.
Later the RIA news agency quoted Ms Zakharova said all the accusations about Russian drones flying in Europe were unsubstantiated and no evidence had been provided.
"All the accusations that we hear, in particular about drones somewhere in the countries of the European Union, they are all unsubstantiated, not a single fact, material, piece of evidence has been presented," she said.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Russia's "war of aggression had crossed yet another line" with the strike.
"We stand in full solidarity with Romania and its people," she said on social media, pledging to increase deterrence on the EU's Eastern border and "to keep increasing pressure on Russia".
NATO condemned Moscow's "recklessness" and vowed "absolute solidarity" with Romania, while France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot slammed what he called "an irresponsible act".
Maia Sandu said Russia was a "danger to all". (Reuters: Inquam Photos/George Calin)
"Russia's reckless behaviour is a danger to us all," NATO chief Mark Rutte wrote on social media after a phone call with the Romanian president.
"I affirmed that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of allied territory,"Rutte said
Maia Sandu, the president of Moldova, which lies between Romania and Ukraine and has also seen repeated drone incursions and debris falling on its soil, said Russia was a "danger to all".
Jets scrambled
Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled after the drones were detected in Romanian airspace, the defence ministry said.
"During the night of May 28-29, the Russian Federation resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania," the Romanian defence ministry said.
The Romanian defence ministry says it scrambled fighter jets. (Reuters: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)
"One of these drones entered Romanian airspace, was tracked by radar as far as the southern part of the city of Galati, and crashed onto the roof of an apartment building, with the impact triggering a fire," it said.
A nationwide air raid alert had been issued in neighbouring Ukraine overnight in anticipation of Russian strikes, with at least two people wounded following the attack in southern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, according to local authorities.
Growing threats
"This incident represents a serious and irresponsible escalation on the part of the Russian Federation," Romania's defence ministry said, adding Bucharest had "requested measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania".
Nicusor Dan convened the national security council in the hours following the incident. (Reuters: Inquam Photos/George Calin)
NATO-member states bordering Ukraine or Russia, including Romania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, are increasingly exposed to incursions into their territory by drones from both warring sides.
Latvia, which borders Russia, appointed a new government on Thursday, two weeks after the collapse of the previous administration due to a row over stray Ukrainian drone incursions, which exposed the weaknesses of the country's air defences.
Turkish ship hit
Ukraine's navy said on Friday that a Russian drone had hit a Turkish cargo ship that had left the port city of Odesa, sparking a fire and wounding two crew members.
The Turkish foreign ministry expressed its concern over the escalation in the Black Sea to all relevant parties and urged each party refrain from taking steps that could lead to uncontrolled escalation of war.
Russia, meanwhile, said its air defences had intercepted more than 200 Ukrainian drones overnight, with one person killed in the Volgograd region after a drone strike on a chemical factory.
The attacks followed a series of Russian strikes on Ukraine on Saturday in one of the most severe attacks since the start of the war.
Russia has been threatening to escalate bombardments in retaliation for a Ukrainian strike that, according to Moscow, killed 21 people at a school in occupied Ukrainian territory.
Moscow announced on Monday it had started a campaign of "systematic" strikes on Kyiv, after battering Ukraine with hundreds of drones and a hypersonic missile over the weekend, and called for diplomats and foreigners to leave the Ukrainian capital.
AFP/Reuters
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