Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to claims that Moscow was behind the drone that crashed into a residential building in Romania.
The remarks came hours after Romanian authorities on Friday, May 29, confirmed that a drone entered the country’s airspace during a major Russian assault on neighboring Ukraine before crashing into a block of flats in the eastern city of Galați.
Romania’s Ministry of Defence said the drone was tracked by radar after entering Romanian airspace during overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine near the Danube border region.
According to Bucharest, the aircraft eventually crashed into the roof of an apartment building, sparking a fire and injuring civilians.
The incident triggered an immediate military response, with NATO-member Romania scrambling F-16 fighter jets and activating emergency alerts across Tulcea, Galați and Brăila counties.
Putin denies Russia was behind drone crash in Romania
Authorities also confirmed that pilots had authorization to engage airborne targets during the alert.
Also Read: NATO on Edge After Russian Drone Crashes into European City
President Putin, however, while speaking after the incident, questioned whether investigators had conclusively proven the drone was Russian.
“Ms von der Leyen was not in Romania. She did not examine the remains of this drone,” he added, referring to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Putin argued that previous drone incidents in European countries had initially been blamed on Russia before later being linked to Ukrainian aircraft that had allegedly veered off course.
“We know that Ukrainian drones flew into Finland, Poland and the Baltic countries,” Putin said.
“The first reaction was exactly the same as now in Romania — ‘The Russians are coming, the Russians are shooting.’ Then, after a short time, it turned out that it had nothing to do with Russian aircraft.”
According to Putin, some drones may have malfunctioned, lost navigation control or been affected by electronic warfare systems.
The Kremlin’s narrative was reinforced by Russia’s envoy to Romania, Vladimir Lipaev, who claimed there was “no evidence” proving the crashed drone originated from Russia. He also accused Kyiv of attempting to draw Romania and NATO deeper into the war.
“Kiev is trying to drag Romania and NATO into war with Russia,” Lipaev reportedly said in comments carried by RT International.
The clash over the drone incident comes amid intensifying cross-border security fears across Eastern Europe as Russia and Ukraine increasingly rely on long-range drones and missile strikes.
Romania’s Defense Ministry has maintained that Russia resumed attacks on Ukrainian civilian and infrastructure targets near the Romanian border during the night of May 28–29.
Bucharest also stated that specialized teams from intelligence, emergency response, and police agencies were deployed after the drone impact.
Two civilians — a woman and a 14-year-old boy — were reportedly injured in the Galați incident, while dozens of residents were evacuated from the apartment building.
NATO alarm
Earlier this year, Lithuania activated emergency alerts after an unidentified drone entered its airspace, prompting civilians near parliament buildings to seek shelter.
Also Read: US Confirms Possible Air Attack in Ukraine Within 24 Hours After Zelenskyy Warning
Similar alarms have also been triggered in Poland, Estonia and Latvia as the war in Ukraine increasingly spills toward NATO borders.
European leaders have repeatedly accused Russia of attempting to destabilize the region through hybrid warfare, airspace violations and intimidation tactics.
Standing alongside Baltic leaders last week, von der Leyen described such incidents as part of a “deliberate strategy from Russia trying to destabilize our democratic societies.”
Moscow, however, insists the accusations are politically motivated.
Putin accused European governments of exploiting the incidents to justify soaring defense expenditures and continued military support for Ukraine.
“Russia has never threatened European countries,” he said. “Everything they’re doing now is just to prolong the conflict and to justify the immense costs for their budgets and continue milking taxpayers.”
The remarks come as NATO countries continue strengthening air-defense systems along the alliance’s eastern flank amid fears that accidental or deliberate cross-border incidents could trigger a wider confrontation between Russia and the military bloc.
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