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Russian Drone Strikes Romanian Apartment Building Near Ukraine Border

A Russian unmanned aerial vehicle struck an apartment building in Galați, Romania early Friday, marking what President Nicușor Dan characterized as the gravest incident affecting Romanian territory since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The collision caused injuries and prompted Dan to convene an emergency national defense council meeting. Romania's military decided against engaging the drone due to heightened risks to civilian safety, despite established protocols permitting interception. Dan pledged proportionate responses and demanded NATO-level coordination, attributing full responsibility to Moscow's indiscriminate weapons operations near alliance borders. Romania has requested additional NATO anti-drone deployments and plans to escalate the matter at the UN Security Council. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte engaged directly with Romanian authorities, condemning what the alliance called Russia's recklessness and reaffirming commitment to strengthened regional defenses.