Russia demands access to investigation into its own drone strike in Romania

Moscow on June 1 requested to take part in a probe of its own drone strike in Romania, part of Russia's broader efforts to deflect blame from an incident that injured two civilians last week.

Romanian authorities said a Russian Shahed-type drone armed with explosives struck a residential building in Galati on May 29, just a few kilometers from the tri-border with Ukraine and Moldova.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan said the drone likely strayed into Romanian territory after being hit by Ukrainian air defense, but stressed that the ultimate responsibility lies with Russia.

While NATO denounced Moscow for its "reckless" attack and Romania shut down a Russian consulate in response, the Kremlin has sought to deny blame.

"All circumstances of the incident must be established through a thorough, objective, and depoliticized investigation, primarily with the involvement of the Russian side," Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's U.N. envoy, said during an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council called by Bucharest.

"We are ready to participate in such an investigation, but, of course, only if we are provided with objective data and the drone debris for analysis."

The Russian diplomat nevertheless acknowledged that Russia carried out strikes against Ukraine early on May 29, even as he attempted to blame Kyiv and its Western partners for the ongoing hostilities.

He also suggested that the incident may be a result of a Ukrainian "provocation" aimed at dragging NATO countries into the war.

Since the outbreak of Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine, Russian drones have repeatedly strayed into the territory of Romania, Moldova, and other countries during strikes on Ukrainian cities, although this marks the first case of a Russian drone injuring civilians of a NATO member state.

Throughout the war, Russian attacks have resulted in massive civilian casualties in Ukraine, most recently during a heavy overnight strike on June 2 that killed at least 13 people and injured over 100.

At the Security Council meeting, Ukraine's U.N. envoy, Andrii Melnyk, voiced solidarity with Romania and said Kyiv fully trusts Bucharest's conclusion that the drone was Russian.

"What happened in Romania was not a single incident," Melnyk stressed, referring to Russian media previously openly calling for strikes against European capitals.

"The gravity of the action and the responsibility of the perpetrator are clear," Romanian Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Toiu noted, citing evidence gathered by Romanian investigators about the drone's Russian origin.