KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian drone that was part of an overnight attack on Ukraine crashed into an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people, Romanian authorities said Friday.
In response to the crash, NATO member Romania asked the alliance for a faster transfer of anti-drone capabilities to its military, the Foreign Ministry said, calling the drone's flight a serious violation of international law.
Ukrainian forces shot down 217 drones overnight on Friday according to the country’s air force. In total, Russia attacked with 232 drones and one ballistic missile. Hits were recorded in 14 areas, the air force said.
The drone was tracked by radar in Romanian airspace and crashed onto the roof of a building in Galati, Romania's Defense Ministry said in a statement. The impact was followed by a fire. Two people suffered minor injuries, and several others were evacuated.
Police and other agencies responded at the scene. Galati is on the Danube River, east of the Moldova and Ukraine borders.
The Romanian military scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a helicopter that were authorized to engage targets, and alert messages were sent to residents of the affected areas.
Russia has been using long-range ballistic missiles and drones to damage Ukraine’s power grid and hammer cities, and Ukraine has braced for further heavy bombardments.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb condemned the drone strike in Romania and wrote in a social media post that “Russia is crossing another line in its war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Stubb said, without elaborating, that “the situation is being discussed within the Alliance.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said the incident showed that Russia "has crossed yet another line.” She said the EU will keep strengthening security along its eastern border and was actively drafting another set of sanctions against Russia, the 21st so far.
“A Russian drone incursion struck a densely populated area in Romania, injuring civilians,” she wrote in a social media post. “On EU territory.”
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the risk of such “serious incidents” was raised by “ Putin’s increasing nervousness, driven by military setbacks.”
“Russia is growing weaker on the battlefield in its war against Ukraine, yet it continues to pursue its objectives through brutal drone and missile attacks,” he said in a statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday he was pressing the United States to provide more Patriot air defense missiles that can counter the Russian attacks.
He warned that deliveries to Ukraine are falling dangerously short as the Iran war diverts and depletes U.S. stocks. “I believe (the U.S.) must act quicker. We are being very persistent,” Zelenskyy told reporters during a visit to Sweden.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned the U.N. Security Council that the escalation and intensification of attacks risks getting out of control, with “unknown and unintended consequences.” He said that more civilians have been killed in the first four months of this year than in the same period in the past three years.
Guterres called for more diplomacy, immediate de-escalation and “a full and unconditional ceasefire.”
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