'No-one feels safe now': Residents of Romanian city hit by drone share fears

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. 'No-one feels safe now': Residents of Romanian city hit by drone share fears10 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleSarah RainsfordSouthern and Eastern Europe correspondent, in Galati 'I will sleep with fear': Romanians shaken after Russian drone strikeIn some parts of Europe, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine can feel like a distant threat. But in Romania, that war is right next door and increasingly dangerous. In Galati, there is an apartment block with a hole in the roof that proves it.

Residents have just begun returning to check on their homes, after an attack drone slammed into the building early on Friday as dozens of people slept. It sparked a fire and panic. We climbed 11 floors up to the roof on Saturday to see where the drone punched through the concrete.

The Details

There's a jagged hole, a couple of metres wide, now covered with plastic. The flat below was badly damaged, and a woman and her teenage son remain in hospital with bruises and minor burns. Nato and EU condemn Russia after drone hits Romanian residential blockBut it's clear the consequences of this strike could have been far worse: the drone hit the lift shaft on the roof, which absorbed much of the blast.

"It was really very terrifying," says Costel Patrichi, a resident who's in charge of the building. "But if the drone had hit the side, it could have destroyed a whole floor or more. "He describes how his phone buzzed with an alert that morning just before 02:00, warning of the danger: a drone was approaching from the Ukrainian border a few miles away.

Moments later came the bang. "They told us we are protected by Nato, not to worry. But look where we are now!

What Experts Say

" Costel tells me, frustrated like many that Romania's air force couldn't intercept the drone. The jagged hole made by the drone has now been covered with plasticWhen a Ukrainian drone targeting northern Russia was recently knocked off course into Estonia, it was a Romanian fighter jet there that shot it down. Here, though, pilots only had moments to react before the weapon was over a built-up area.

At that point, interception was too risky. If go back to my flat tonight, I will sleep with fear. Because this could happen again," Costel admits.

It is the same fear that Ukrainians endure nightly as Russia launches ever more attack drones at its neighbour. Very often, they smash into residential areas, destroying homes and taking lives. Now Romania, a member of both Nato and the EU, has been hit.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.