Russia has sent 232 drones and one ballistic missile into Ukraine in a huge attack in the middle of the night. It was not long before the violence crossed the borders of Ukraine, with a suspected Russian drone crashing into a residential building in the eastern Romanian city of Galati, injuring two people and causing immediate evacuations.
Romania’s air defense forces used radar to monitor the incoming drone before the collision, sending out two F-16 fighter aircraft and a helicopter to intercept and broadcasting emergency messages. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania immediately summoned the Russian ambassador over the crash, saying it was a “severe violation of international law. Foreign Minister Oana Toiu assured strong diplomatic repercussions and possible new measures of European sanctions. Foreign Minister Oana Toiu promised severe diplomatic repercussions and new European sanctions.
The President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, echoed this dismay, saying the country will not let Russia’s war of aggression endanger its people. Because of an emergency security council meeting, Dan expelled the Russian consul in Constanta, calling him persona non grata. Moreover, Romania’s outgoing PM Ilie Bolojan said the country would sign a contract for anti-drone defenses immediately as part of the European Union (EU) SAFE program.
The diplomatic repercussions rapidly rippled throughout Europe. Speaking at the opening of the European Parliament’s week-long conference, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said Russia’s aggression has “passed a new threshold”. The leaders of France and Poland emphasized the continued danger that Russia poses to the security of Europe. The recklessness was condemned explicitly at NATO; the alliance’s secretary-general Mark Rutte and U.S. ambassador Matthew Whitaker were both emphatic on the point that NATO is prepared to defend every inch of its ground from such an incursion.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for a regional air defense strategy and expressed strong backing for Bucharest. The United Nations‘ (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, cautioned that the attacks are beginning to go out of control. He said that civilian casualties were soaring in the year and called for an immediate, unconditional cease-fire.
The accusations were strongly rejected by Moscow. In Kazakhstan, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared it was “too early” to determine the drone’s origin, and proposed that Romania help conduct the investigation. He likened the situation to the false alarms in the past in Poland and the Baltic. Meanwhile, Russian Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev sounded more threatening, telling EU countries to “shut up” and saying their support for Ukraine means they would be direct actors in the war if it continues.
Nerves are being strained along the eastern front of the alliance with these incursions. The latest incidents in the airspace have already caused government instability in the Baltic countries, even leading to the collapse of the government in Latvia, and Moscow is warning of “systematic strikes” on European facilities manufacturing drones for Kyiv.
