Putin reacts to a drone hitting a building in Romania: “No one can say who it belongs to before an expert examination”
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, commented on the incident in Romania, where a drone crashed into an apartment block in Galati, injuring two people and evacuating approximately 70 tenants. The Kremlin leader said that the origin of the device cannot be established before an official examination.
Russian President Vladimir Putin/PHOTO: Profimedia
The statements were made at the end of his visit to Kazakhstan, during an intervention broadcast by the station “Rossia 1”. Putin claimed that similar situations had previously occurred in Finland, Poland and the Baltic states, and subsequent investigations indicated, according to Moscow, drones of Ukrainian origin that may have altered their trajectory due to electronic warfare systems or other technical reasons.
“No one can say who the drone belongs to until the necessary expertise is done“, the Russian leader said. He added that Russia is ready to carry out “an objective inquiry” if the Romanian authorities will provide data considered credible by the Russian side.
Putin: “I learned about the incident even before this conference”
The Russian president stated that he had not been previously informed about the case of the drone that fell in Romania.
“It may seem strange, but I found out even before I walked into this room about what happened to an alleged Russian drone“, declared Putin.
He criticized the reactions from some European officials, arguing that there is a tendency for any such incident to be immediately attributed to Russia.
“Who says it is a Russian drone? Many — but who are these many? Ursula von der Leyen was not in Romania and did not analyze the remains of the drone”said the Kremlin leader.
The President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, visited the affected building in Galati and provided details about the plane's route.
According to him, a group of 43 drones coming from the east crossed Ukrainian airspace north of the Danube. Some of them would have been intercepted by the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense near the city of Reni, and one of the drones would have changed its direction and would have reached the territory of Romania.
“An aircraft was probably hit in the Reni area, after which it changed its trajectory towards Galati”, explained the head of state.
The Romanian authorities reported that the drone hit the roof of a 10-story building in Galati, causing a fire. The incident is considered the first case in which an unmanned aerial vehicle reaches a densely populated urban area in Romania and causes casualties.
Following the event, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to Bucharest. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana Țoiu, announced that the Romanian state will adopt “all the necessary diplomatic measures”.
At the same time, Romania decided to close the Consulate General of Russia in Constanța.
