VLADIMIR Putin has denied being behind a drone crash into a Romanian block of flats as Constanța prepares to close the Russian consulate.
Following the explosion which left two people wounded, the Kremlin has demanded Europe provide evidence to prove Putin’s responsibility.
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Putin said it is too early to tell where a drone that hit a Romanian block of flats originated from Credit: Getty
The explosive started a fiery inferno on Thursday night that left two people hospitalised Credit: East2West
The stray drone is among an increased number of scattered explosives flying between Russia and Ukraine, leaving surrounding Nato members at risk of becoming collateral damage.
On Friday, Romanian President Nicușor Dan announced the closure of the consulate in the Black Sea port city.
And the foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to Bucharest over the horrific ordeal.
On Thursday night, a Geran-2 – the Russian version of the Iranian-designed Shahed drone – crashed into the roof of an apartment building in the city of Galati, according to Romania‘s military.
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The city is located just across the border from southern Ukraine and Moldova.
The defence ministry has released a statement saying: “The Russian Federation resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania.”
“One of these drones entered Romanian airspace, was tracked by radar as far as the southern part of the city of Galați and crashed onto the roof of an apartment building, with the impact triggering a fire.”
Two people were wounded in the fire and had to be rushed to hospital for treatment.
Romanian president Nicușor Dan has ordered the Russian consulate to be closed over the incident Credit: Reuters
Putin has demanded evidence to prove the drone came from Russia Credit: AFP
Emergency services later extinguished the inferno.
Putin has since spoken out, saying that it was too soon to decipher where the drone had come from.
And he demanded that Moscow be shown evidence of its fault.
“No one can say the origin of this or that aircraft until an examination of that aircraft is conducted,” Putin said at a press conference in Kazakhstan.
“If they provide us with any objective data… in that case, will we assess what happened.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry has promised to respond to the closure of its Constanța consulate.
Romania said the drone crash “represents a serious and irresponsible escalation on the part of the Russian Federation”.
It added that Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte had been informed of the incident.
Putin ally Medvedev said stray drones would continue to fly over and into other Nato countries Credit: East2West
Several drones have been detected in and around Romanian airspace since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 Credit: AFP
The country has also requested “the transfer of anti-drone capabilities” to protect itself from any future fallout of Russia‘s war on Ukraine.
Rutte vowed the alliance’s “absolute solidarity” with Bucharest.
And he slammed “Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all.”
Dmitry Medvedev – Putin’s close pal and deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council – said drones would continue to stray into surrounding countries.
Speaking in retaliation to Rutte’s comments, he said: “There is a war going on”.
“This will continue to happen,” Medvedev said.
“The citizens of EU states, as the population of the belligerent countries, will not be able to sleep peacefully.”
He added that these incidents were likely to continue in countries where drones were being manufactured for Ukraine.
“After all, European drones, spare parts for them, and other weapons, not to mention intelligence, are used in attacks on our country every day,” he said.
“As a result of their actions, residential buildings are being damaged, in which our civilians are dying.”
According to Nato sources, it is unknown whether Romania will invoke Article 4 of the military’s alliance treaty.
The article is a rarely utilised mechanism that sparks consultations with other members.
It can potentially lead to a joint decision or action on behalf of Nato.
The last time the article was invoked was in September last year, following Russian drones entering Poland‘s airspace during an overnight attack on Ukraine.
Numerous drone threats have been reported in Romania since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
But Thursday night’s ordeal marks the first time a stray drone has hit a residential building.
Romania’s military gathered two F-16 fighter jets immediately after the aerial targets were detected in the country’s airspace.
The cross-border incident coincided with a nationwide air raid alert issued in Ukraine in anticipation of Russian strikes.
Authorities in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia say at least two people were wounded following the attacks.
