Romania's intelligence services, together with the ministries of interior and defense, secured the fragments on site and checked whether they contained an explosive charge; 217 people were evacuated from the surrounding area as a precaution. Ukrayinska Pravda ↗
Romanian radar detected the drones shortly before two in the morning. At 02:00, two British Eurofighter Typhoon fighters took off from the 86th Air Base Fetești–Borcea — London currently holds a four-month rotation in NATO's Enhanced Air Policing mission in Romania, which it took over on March 31. At 02:14, residents of Tulcea County received an RO-ALERT warning. The pilots picked up a radar contact 1.5 km from the Ukrainian port of Reni — over Ukrainian territory, not Romanian. Ukrayinska Pravda ↗ RBC-Ukraine ↗
RAF was authorized to shoot down — pilots did not fire
The Romanian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the British pilots were authorized to shoot down the drones. The British Ministry of Defence subsequently denied initial reports that the Eurofighters had actually shot down drones. "British fighters did not enter Ukrainian airspace and no drone was shot down by these aircraft, because the drones did not breach Romanian airspace," it stated. Romania subsequently issued a second communiqué correcting the original text. BBC ↗At 02:31 — about half an hour after the Eurofighters took off — residents of Galați reported an object falling. It was a different drone, which had gone off course and crashed in Bariera Traian; the trajectory was independent of the target the British fighters were tracking. RBC-Ukraine ↗
Romania escalates its language: "NATO's collective security"
Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador Vladimir Lipayev and described the attack as a "reckless and provocative act that violates the fundamental principles of international law." Tougher wording came from the Ministry of Defense: "Such incidents demonstrate the Russian Federation's disregard for international law and threaten not only the security of Romanian citizens but also NATO's collective security." RBC-Ukraine ↗The long-term pattern matters here. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Romania has recorded at least 14 cases of Russian drones entering its airspace. In 2025 alone, Russia tested NATO members' airspace 18 times — three times more than the year before (a 200 percent increase). RBC-Ukraine ↗ Eight days before the incident — on April 17 — another drone violated Romanian airspace, and Polish fighters routinely take off as a precaution during every major Russian attack on western Ukraine.
Also read: Lithuania to set up a training area near the corridor between Poland, Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad — at one of NATO's most vulnerable points
The most massive strike in recent days
Galați was not an isolated incident. Overnight, Russia launched 619 drones and 47 missiles at Ukraine — the largest air attack in several days. Ukraine's air force destroyed or electronically suppressed 580 drones and 30 missiles. BBC ↗ Zelensky said the attack lasted "practically the whole night." BBC ↗Dnipro was hit hardest — according to the BBC, five people died there when a residential building was struck. Two more casualties were reported in Chernihiv. In total, the BBC reported seven victims. Drones and missiles also struck Odesa and Kharkiv. Polish fighters took off as a precaution but did not need to intervene. BBC ↗
Meanwhile, Ukraine carried out some of its deepest drone strikes into Russian territory. In Yekaterinburg — nearly 1,600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border — six people were injured when a building was hit. In neighboring Chelyabinsk, defenses reportedly intercepted drones attacking an industrial facility, according to local authorities. In response, Zelensky called for strengthening Ukraine's air defense. BBC ↗
What hotinfo is watching
- Merops within days. Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruța announced after Galați that the American AI-based drone-destruction system Merops will be integrated into national air defense "within days" — following final tests. The system is developed by Project Eagle, backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Reuters ↗
- The communiqué discrepancy will be measured. The original Romanian text suggested the RAF shot down drones — London denies this. How this discrepancy is resolved will affect future rules of engagement on the alliance's eastern flank.
- The pattern is accelerating. Last year Russia tested NATO airspace 18 times, three times more than the year before. Galați is just the latest in a series — and once again, no one in the alliance fired. The question is whether and when the first "yes" will come.
