Romania records first drone damage as Russia targets Ukraine

Romania recovered drone fragments in the southeastern city of Galati after an overnight Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine, marking the first time property was damaged when an electricity pole and a household annex were hit, the Defence Ministry said. There were no casualties in the incident, which the ministry condemned as a challenge to regional security and stability in the Black Sea area. Two Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets from a British air-policing mission were scrambled to monitor the attack, which is standard procedure during such incidents. The incident comes just days after Romania completed final testing of the Merops counter-drone system at the Capu Midia Air Defence Training Range, 80 km from the Ukrainian frontline. Defence Minister Radu Miruta said the U.S.-made, AI-powered system would be integrated into national air defence in a matter of days and described it as capable of countering drone threats along the Danube river. "Merops reduces the number of scenarios we cannot handle," Miruta said, though he noted the tests were only partially successful after one interceptor swerved too quickly and missed its target. The system was developed by Project Eagle, a company backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and is already operational in Ukraine and Poland. Romania shares a 650-km land border with Ukraine and has seen Russian drones repeatedly breach its airspace as Moscow targets Ukrainian ports across the Danube river. Major General Arnoud Stallmann, assistant chief of staff at NATO's Allied Command Transformation, said the threat is real and that alliance members needed a solution for drone incursions into NATO-allied territory. Tensions have mounted along Europe's eastern flank in recent months as suspected Russian drones have breached the airspace of multiple NATO states. Romanian law permits the country to shoot down drones during peacetime if lives or property are at risk, but authorities have not yet exercised this option. Romania and Ukraine also plan to jointly produce drones under the European Union's SAFE rearmament funding mechanism.