“People thought it was thunder at first.”
Residents in the Romanian city of Galati woke up to explosions, smoke, and broken windows after a Russian drone slammed into a residential apartment building near the Ukrainian border, injuring at least two people and forcing dozens from their homes.
For Romania, the incident felt different from earlier airspace violations.
Drone debris had crossed into the country before during attacks on Ukraine. But this time, the drone hit a populated apartment block directly.
A woman and a child were among those injured, according to emergency officials. Around 70 residents were evacuated from the 10 storey building after fire broke out inside parts of the structure.
Outside the building Thursday morning, people stood quietly watching firefighters move through damaged floors while pieces of glass and concrete covered parked cars below.
“The whole building shook,” resident Elena Dobre told local television crews gathered outside.
Another resident, Mihai Petrescu, said many people initially did not understand what happened.
“People ran into the hallway in pajamas. Nobody knew if another one was coming.”
Romanian authorities said the drone was Russian made and likely connected to overnight attacks targeting Ukraine’s nearby Izmail port across the Danube River. Officials tracked the drone for several minutes after it entered Romanian airspace at low altitude.
F16 fighter jets and a military helicopter were scrambled during the incident, though officials later admitted the drone was difficult to intercept because of how low it was flying.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan called the strike “a serious violation of international law” and condemned what he described as Russian aggression spilling into Romanian territory.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reacted sharply as well.
“Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all.”
The attack has added another layer of tension along NATO’s eastern edge, where countries bordering Ukraine have become increasingly nervous about drones, missiles, and military spillover from the war.
Romania shares a long border with Ukraine and has repeatedly reported drones entering its airspace since Russia intensified attacks on Ukrainian river ports and infrastructure near the border.
In Galați, residents said the fear now feels more personal.
A local shop owner, Adrian Luca, said conversations changed immediately after the strike.
“Before, the war felt close. Now it feels here.”
Some analysts believe Ukrainian electronic jamming may have disrupted the drone’s route before it crossed into Romania, though officials said investigations are still ongoing and details remain unclear.
Near the damaged building, emergency workers continued checking apartments while families carried bags downstairs and waited outside for updates.
Children sat inside parked cars while parents spoke quietly nearby.
For many residents, the hardest part was not only the explosion itself.
It was realizing that a war happening across the border no longer feels completely across the border anymore.
