Romania explains why it did not shoot down Russian drone that struck residential building
A lack of time and the restrictions under which the country's military is forced to operate were the reasons a Russian drone was not shot down in the Romanian city of Galați, a Romanian Defence Ministry representative has stated.
"The first restriction we have is legal: we cannot open fire in a way that affects the airspace of a neighbouring country. Furthermore, engaging an aerial target requires a certain amount of time, which involves detection, identification and engagement. The four minutes we had at our disposal were an extremely short period of time," Brigadier General Gheorghe Maxim said, as quoted by Romanian media outlet Digi24.
The general added that Romania has air defence systems "that were designed and manufactured before 2023, when this drone war began". Maxim stressed that Romania is constantly working to improve these systems.
He also noted that the Ministry of Defence is continuously working to adapt the legislative framework in order to limit situations such as the one that occurred the previous night.
Asked why the Gepard systems did not engage, the general replied that the military has restrictions on the deployment of such systems in peacetime conditions.
"We must have the consent of owners and business entities to deploy such systems, which have a limited range of between 1.5km and 6km... Because private property is protected by law. This is peacetime. Where we have obtained consent, we have deployed systems. Where we have not obtained consent, we have not deployed them," Maxim said.
Defence Ministry spokesman Cristian Popovici, speaking on Digi24 on the morning of 29 May, stated in response to questions about why the drone was not shot down that Romania "cannot risk creating more threats than it can prevent", while stressing that "the military has strict limitations."
During Russia's attack on Ukraine on the night of 28-29 May, a drone crashed into a 10-storey residential building in the Romanian city of Galați. Two people were taken to hospital and 70 residents were evacuated. The drone was identified as a Russian Geran-2 type.
Romania's Ministry of Defence said that since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, drone debris has been found on Romanian territory on 47 occasions.
Romania's Foreign Ministry described the crash of a Russian drone into a residential apartment building in Galați as a serious escalation by Moscow.
A spokesperson for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation said that Secretary General Mark Rutte and the Romanian authorities remain in contact following the Russian drone strike on the building in Galați.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu stated that the crash of the Russian drone into a residential building in Galați meets the criteria that justify invoking Article 4 of NATO regarding consultations with allies.