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Nato vows to defend ‘every inch’ of territory after Russian drone hits Romania
Nato accused Russia of “reckless” behaviour and said it would defend “every inch of Allied territory” after Romania said a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building during an attack on neighbouring Ukraine.
Romania’s defence ministry said radar systems had tracked a Russian drone entering Romanian airspace overnight before it struck a 10-storey apartment block in Galati, near the Ukrainian border.
A woman and a child suffered minor injuries, according to Romanian authorities.
Images from the scene showed charred and damaged brickwork on the roof of the building.
Officials said the drone exploded on impact, tearing through a top-floor flat.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about the spillover of Russia’s war on Ukraine into Nato territory.
Russia did not accept responsibility.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, cited by Russia’s Tass news agency, said President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the incident.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova dismissed accusations of Russian drones flying over Europe as unsubstantiated, according to RIA.
Separately, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, warned European leaders that drones would continue to enter their countries and prevent their populations from “sleeping peacefully”.
"After all, European drones, spare parts for them, and other weapons, not to mention intelligence, are used in attacks on our country every day.
As a result of their actions, residential buildings are being damaged, in which our civilians are dying," said Medvedev.
