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Romania has definitively identified the drone that struck a residential building in the city of Galati last Thursday as a Russian-made Geran-2, the country's president announced Sunday, dismissing Moscow's claims that the aircraft's origin could not be established.
"The drone that crashed Thursday night in Galati is a Geran-2, of Russian origin," President Nicusor Dan wrote on X, describing the finding as "the unequivocal conclusion of the technical report finalized by experts of the Romanian state." Dan said Russia was "solely responsible" for the incident.
The strike injured a 14-year-old boy and a 53-year-old woman, both of whom were hospitalized Friday after the drone hit a block of flats in Galati, a port city near the Ukrainian border. It was the first time a drone had struck a residential building outside Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022.
Romanian state experts conducted comprehensive physical, chemical and electronic analysis of recovered fragments, Dan said, citing multiple lines of evidence. The Cyrillic inscription "GERAN-2" was found on wreckage, and electronic components, navigation systems, control modules, engine parts and structural elements were found to match, in some cases identically, those of other Geran-2 drones previously recovered on Romanian territory.
"Physical and chemical analyses have confirmed the presence of the same types of materials and fuels repeatedly identified in devices of this series," Dan added. The Romanian defence ministry said the drone crossed into the country's airspace during Russian strikes on Ukraine.
The Geran-2 is Russia's designation for what Western governments and analysts have identified as a variant of the Shahed-136, an Iranian-designed one-way attack drone that Moscow has deployed extensively against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure throughout the war.
Russia has rejected the findings. President Vladimir Putin said Friday that "no one" could determine the aircraft's origin with any authority before a thorough examination had been completed, a position effectively undercut by Bucharest's announcement two days later. Russia's embassy in Romania went further, accusing Ukraine of staging a provocation.
Romania is a NATO member, and repeated drone incursions into its airspace have fueled concern within the alliance about spillover from the war in Ukraine. Dozens of drones have crossed into Romanian territory since the conflict began, though none had previously struck a residential structure.
Sunday's announcement marks a significant escalation in Bucharest's public posture toward Moscow. By releasing what it described as an unequivocal technical conclusion, the Romanian government directly contradicted Kremlin denials and placed formal responsibility on Russia for an attack on civilian infrastructure inside an alliance member state.
Dan posted four images alongside his statement, which he said depicted the recovered device. Romanian authorities have not detailed what further steps, diplomatic or otherwise, Bucharest intends to take in response.
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