On May 29 at 01:54, Romanian radars detected a drone descending from 600 meters above Galati — a city 10 kilometers from the Ukrainian Reni. Two F-16s and an IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter were already in the air. Pilots had authorization to strike. The drone fell on the roof of a nine-story building and set it on fire. Injured — a woman and a teenager, evacuated — 70 residents.
The Hardware Exists. The Problem Is Legal
Romania's Ministry of Defense acknowledged after the incident that the existing air defense system was created to combat aircraft, missiles, and helicopters, not small low-altitude drones. But the key reason is different. According to Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, pilots had orders to shoot down the drone when conditions would allow doing so without casualties and destruction. The drone was in the country's airspace for only four minutes, maneuvering over dense urban development — and there were no "windows" for a safe shot.
"There is no ambiguity whatsoever regarding the culprit. Full responsibility lies with the Russian Federation"
— Romanian President Klaus Iohannis
A separate problem proved to be legal: deploying air defense systems near the border encounters restrictions related to private property. That is, even if Romania had more systems — placing them at necessary points is hindered by civil legislation not adopted for hybrid threat conditions.
What NATO Plans to Change
Romania's Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu, during a visit to Paris, told Reuters that Bucharest had already before the incident submitted NATO with a detailed list of security needs. Galati only accelerated consultations. Among specific measures — expanding radar coverage to detect low-altitude targets, involving additional aircraft in NATO's airspace patrol mission, new resources from allies along Romania's 650-kilometer border with Ukraine.
France, which leads the NATO battle group in Romania with approximately 1,400 military personnel, became one of the first recipients of these consultations — hence the choice of Paris for Odobescu's talks.
- Romania officially requested allies to deploy additional anti-drone systems
- The country will inform the UN Security Council of "gross and repeated violations of international law"
- This is not the first incident: in May 2025, an unexploded rocket was found in the village of Pardina
Notably, Romania already authorized in May 2025 shooting down Russian drones violating its airspace. That is, there was authorization, there were aircraft, and radars detected the target 40 minutes before the strike. The problem turned out not to be a shortage of weapons — but rather that rules of engagement are not adapted for a drone weighing dozens of kilograms maneuvering over a residential area at night.
If NATO truly reviews these rules — and not merely adds radars and patrols — the next similar incident will show whether the Galati fire was a turning point or simply another occasion for statements.
