Russian Drone Strikes Residential Building in Romanian City of Galați

Incident in Galați

According to Главком: A Russian unmanned aerial vehicle struck a ten-story apartment block on Brăilei Street in the Romanian city of Galați during the night of May 29. The attack injured two residents-a woman and her 14-year-old son-who are currently receiving hospital treatment. Crucially, the building’s load-bearing structure remained intact, allowing most residents to return to their apartments. However, the affected family has not yet been able to go back home.

Electricity in the building has been restored following the incident, but gas supply remains suspended pending inspections. Local officials in Galați issued the following statement:

“After assessments by the competent authorities, it was determined that the supporting structure of the apartment building on Brăilei Street was not damaged. From now on, residents of the building can safely return to their apartments, except for the family directly affected by the strike.”

Military Threat and Romania’s Response

The drone responsible for the attack was identified as a Geran-2, Russia’s version of the Iranian Shahed. Galați lies roughly 20 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, heightening regional concerns. In response, Romania has called on NATO to accelerate the delivery of air defense systems. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also summoned the Russian ambassador to discuss the incident.

“The Prefect’s Institution of Galați, together with all involved agencies, continues to monitor the situation and will provide support to those affected by this incident,” an official statement read.

Over the four years of hostilities near NATO’s borders, Romania has recorded 47 drone incursions into its airspace. This latest event underscores a critical challenge facing the Alliance in the region.

The attack in Galați highlights escalating regional tensions fueled by military actions in Ukraine and the potential risks to neighboring countries. As a NATO member, Romania is actively seeking to bolster its security, including through joint efforts with the Alliance to improve air defense systems. This case also emphasizes the importance of international security cooperation to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The recent incident in Galați is not an isolated case, as evidenced by a previous event where a Russian drone impacted a residential structure in Romania. This ongoing threat from aerial attacks raises significant security concerns for the region. For more details on this alarming trend, you can read about the previous drone crash in Romania.