Russia Mocks “Impotent” European Leaders After "Ukrainian Drone" Hits NATO State Romania | VERTEX

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:01]A drone crashes into NATO territory.

[00:00:04]Romania scrambles fighter jets. [music] NATO vows to defend every inch.

[00:00:09]And then Vladimir Putin shrugs it off, claiming the drone may not even have been Russian.

[00:00:14]As the war spills beyond Ukraine's borders, one terrifying question is growing louder.

[00:00:21]How long before NATO is pulled directly into this conflict?

[00:00:36]A Russian drone strike has now crossed directly into NATO territory, raising fresh fears that the war in Ukraine could spill even further across Europe.

[00:00:46]Overnight, a drone crashed into a residential building in Romania, injuring civilians and triggering an emergency response from both Bucharest and the NATO alliance.

[00:00:57]The incident took place in the Romanian city of Galati, close to the border with Ukraine, during a large-scale Russian aerial attack overnight.

[00:01:06]According to Romania's Defense Ministry, the drone was tracked by radar after entering Romanian airspace before crashing into the roof of an apartment building and sparking a fire.

[00:01:18]Romanian authorities immediately scrambled two F-16 fighter jets along with a military helicopter authorized to engage airborne threats.

[00:01:27]The strike has triggered a sharp international reaction.

[00:01:31]Romania's government has now convened an emergency national security meeting, while the Romanian Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's ambassador over the incident.

[00:01:41]NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that the alliance stands fully prepared to defend its territory following the incident.

[00:01:49]After speaking with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Rutte posted on social media, >> I just spoke with President of Romania about the Russian drone that hit a residential building in Galati.

[00:02:03]I assured him of NATO's absolute solidarity with Romania and expressed [music] sympathy for those injured in the incident.

[00:02:10]I affirmed that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of allied territory.

[00:02:16]We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones.

[00:02:23]Russia's reckless behavior is a danger to us all.

[00:02:28]>> Dmitry Medvedev warned European leaders that drones would continue entering their countries >> [music] >> and disrupting civilian life as long as Europe remained involved in the war [music] against Russia.

[00:02:40]Medvedev said it was still unclear which country the drone involved in the latest incident belonged to, but accused Europe's impotent leaders of hypocrisy for expressing outrage while supporting Ukraine militarily.

[00:02:54]>> Let them get ready. This will continue to happen. There is a war going on and citizens of EU states as populations of countries participating in the conflict will not be able to sleep peacefully.

[00:03:08]>> He added that such incidents were especially likely in countries producing drones and military equipment for Ukraine.

[00:03:15]>> European drones, spare parts, and other weapons along with intelligence support are used [music] in attacks against our country every day.

[00:03:23]>> Meanwhile, Putin vehemently rejected the allegations [music] saying it was too early to say if the drone which crashed into the apartment block in Romania was Russian and suggested it could have been a Ukrainian drone.

[00:03:37]>> I don't even understand what you're talking about. Just before entering this hall, they told me, "Did you know that some kind of drone flew into Romania?"

[00:03:45]I said, "I don't know. What drone?"

[00:03:48]Ms. von der Leyen wasn't in Romania after all.

[00:03:52]She didn't examine the remains of this drone. No one can say where a particular aircraft originates from until it's [music] examined.

[00:03:59]After all, we know that Ukrainian drones have flown into Finland, Poland, and elsewhere in the Baltic states.

[00:04:07]The initial reaction was [music] exactly the same as now in Romania.

[00:04:11]Help! The Russians are coming. The Russians are shooting.

[00:04:15]Then, a short time later, it turned out [music] that these had nothing to do with Russian aircraft, but rather that these drones were of Ukrainian origin.

[00:04:23]They had strayed off course, were affected by electronic warfare, or for some other reason, or because of imperfect technical specifications, they had flown there and crashed.

[00:04:35]>> As Russia intensifies missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, the incident in Romania is now adding a dangerous new layer to an already volatile conflict. One that increasingly risks drawing NATO itself closer to direct confrontation.

[00:05:03]NATO member Romania said that a drone injured two people in a southeastern city during an overnight Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine. The first time in the war that a drone had hit a densely populated area in Romania and caused injuries. The incident in Romania, also a member of the European Union, was likely to increase tensions on NATO's eastern flank at a time when Ukraine's allies are worried about Russia's war on its neighbors spilling over its borders.

[00:05:34]The drone hit the roof of a 10-story block of flats in Galați and caused an explosion, the authorities said.

[00:05:41]Romania's foreign ministry described the drone incident as a grave and irresponsible escalation from Russia.

[00:05:48]It said the country would take the necessary diplomatic measures to respond to what it described as a serious [music] breach of international law and its airspace, adding that it had recovered drone fragments that fell in Romania 47 times.

[00:06:05]>> This incident represents a serious and irresponsible escalation [music] by the Russian Federation.

[00:06:11]Romania will take the necessary diplomatic response measures regarding this serious violation of international law and of its airspace.

[00:06:20]Romania has informed [music] European member states, the allies, and the NATO Secretary General of the circumstances and has requested measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania.

[00:06:33]The Russian Federation [music] bears direct responsibility for these grave and irresponsible actions.

[00:06:39]Romania will act with the utmost determination to increase international pressure on the Russian Federation [music] with a view to achieving an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire.

[00:06:52]>> Romania's Defense Ministry said that the country, which shares a 650-km land border [music] with Ukraine, has experienced Russian drones breaching its airspace 28 times since Moscow began attacking Kyiv's ports across the Danube River.

[00:07:09]The Defense Ministry said it scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a military helicopter to monitor the attacks, adding the pilots were authorized to shoot down any drones.

[00:07:19]The residents of the border counties of Braila, Galati, and Tulcea were warned to take cover.

[00:07:27]>> All available data has already been analyzed to establish the exact sequence of events. And it resulted in the fact that there were no real opportunities to engage it safely.

[00:07:37]I want to convey very clearly that the situation is under control. We are not facing an attack on Romania. We are facing the effects of a conflict taking place right next to our border.

[00:07:49]>> Condemning the incident, NATO said it would strengthen its defenses against all threats, including drones.

[00:07:57]>> Early this morning, an apartment building in Romania was struck by a drone as Russia attacked Ukrainian infrastructure near the border.

[00:08:06]The Secretary General of NATO is in touch with Romanian authorities.

[00:08:10]We condemn Russia's recklessness, and NATO will continue to strengthen our defenses against all threats, including drones.

[00:08:19]>> In the latest incident, a fire broke out [music] in a 10th-floor apartment after the drone struck the building's roof and exploded, Romania's emergency response [music] agency said.

[00:08:30]Two people were receiving medical treatment on site, it [music] said, adding 70 people had evacuated. State news agency Agerpres cited [music] Galati's emergency response agency as saying a woman and her child [music] had been taken to the hospital with minor injuries, while two others had been treated on site for panic attacks.

[00:08:50]The emergency agency said that the drone's entire explosive [music] payload detonated, and the fire was extinguished.

[00:08:58]The Defense Ministry said radar lost [music] contact with the drone as it entered Galati, as it was flying very low to the ground. Deputy Interior Minister Raed [music] Arafat, who is in charge of the emergency response agency, told private broadcaster Digi 24 the drone affected two building stairwells and damaged five cars.

[00:09:19]Romania's state TVR broadcaster said late on May 28th that in a separate incident, [music] a drone without an explosive charge was found around Bârsesti in Maramures County in northwestern Romania, and the area was secured.

[00:09:33]The authorities were investigating [music] the origin of the drone, which the report said had a wingspan of about 3 m, and how it happened to be in the area.

[00:09:43]Local authorities in southern Ukraine, meanwhile, said the Izmail port in the Odessa region came under attack from several drones early on May 29th.

[00:09:53]Izmail, close to the Romanian border, is home to the largest Ukrainian port on the Danube River and is a frequently targeted strategic location.

[00:10:04]Galati was last hit in April, when a drone [music] damaged an electricity pole and a household annex, prompting evacuations.

[00:10:13]Officials retrieved the drone to detonate its unexploded payload remotely.

[00:10:18]Romanian law allows it to shoot down drones during peacetime if lives or property [music] are at risk, but it has not yet done so.

[00:10:26]Ukrainian drones have strayed into Baltic countries' airspace [music] in recent weeks, sowing confusion and raising tensions with Russia.