Ukraine war latest: NATO condemns 'reckless' Russian drone strike on Romanian apartment building

Key developments on May 29:

• NATO condemns 'reckless' Russian drone strike on Romanian apartment building
• Russia preparing new large-scale attack, Zelensky says
• Oreshnik missile 'isn't cutting-edge' as Russia claims, Ukraine says after examining parts
• Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 2, injure 27, hit Turkish ship over past day

A Russian drone struck a residential building in the Romanian city of Galati overnight on May 29.

The drone was redirected from its original course, Romanian President Nicursor Dan said the following morning, as cited by local media.

The Russian Shahed-type drone was part of a larger group targeted by Ukrainian air defense over the Danube River in Odesa Oblast, and "one of them, likely struck over the city of Reni, altered its course and headed toward Galati," Dan said, according to Romanian media outlet Digi24.

The strike injured two people in just the latest incursion of long-range attack drones into the territory of a NATO member state.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said "Russia's reckless behavior is a danger to us all."

Galati, located in eastern Romania, is only 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the tripoint border of Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine, near southern Odesa Oblast.

Throughout the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian drones have repeatedly crossed into NATO territory, including Romania.

"(T)he Russian Federation resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, in the vicinity of the river border with Romania," a statement from Romania's Defense Ministry read.

"A drone entered Romanian airspace, being tracked by radar to the southern area of ​​the city of Galati, and crashed onto the roof of a block of apartments, the impact sparking a fire."

After radars detected drones flying near Romanian airspace, two F-16 jets and a military helicopter took off with authorization to engage targets, the Romanian Defense Ministry added.

Two people were injured in the strike, and 70 people were evacuated from the damaged building, local authorities said, according to Romanian outlet Viata Libera.

The explosive charge of the drone detonated, starting a fire at the scene, officials said, adding that there was no longer a need to evacuate from other parts of the struck residential building.

Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the attack only later in the evening, claiming that "nobody can know the origin of the drone."

President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X that overnight on May 29, Russian forces carried out a "deliberate strike" on Odesa Oblast, which borders Romania.

"This was yet another cynical attack on civilian infrastructure in our cities and in our waters, targeting civilian container ships. One of the drones... also struck an ordinary residential building in Romania. We wish those injured a speedy recovery. We are ready to support Romania in whatever way is necessary under these circumstances," Zelensky said.

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said on X that the incident is a "serious and irresponsible escalation" by Russia.

"Romania will take the necessary diplomatic response measures regarding this serious violation of international law and of its airspace," Toiu said.

According to Toiu, Romania informed European member states, the Allies, and the NATO Secretary General of the circumstances and requested measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania.

"Romania will act with the utmost determination to increase international pressure on the Russian Federation with a view to achieving an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire," Toiu said.

Romania's Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in response to the strike. President Dan said after a May 29 meeting of Romania's Supreme Council of National Defense that Russia's consul general in Constanța had been declared persona non grata and that the Russian Consulate General in the city would be closed, public broadcaster Radio România Actualități reported.

Dan said the strike marks "the most serious incident" affecting Romanian territory since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

‌‌Russia preparing new large-scale attack, Zelensky says

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 29 that Ukrainian intelligence has information indicating Russia is preparing a new large-scale attack on Ukraine, citing it as evidence that Moscow continues to rely on "missiles and further war" rather than diplomacy.

"It is important that all our partners know what is happening," Zelensky said.

Residents of Kyiv have been bracing for another attack for days. The warning follows Moscow's public threats of new strikes on the capital and comes after Zelensky sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump warning of Ukraine's deepening shortage of air defense systems, particularly anti-ballistic missile capabilities.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 25 that Russia planned to strike Ukrainian "decision-making centers" and urged Washington to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv.

Russia's Foreign Ministry also issued a statement urging foreign citizens, including diplomats, to leave the city. No foreign embassies in Kyiv evacuated staff following the threats.

The statements came after one of the largest strikes against Kyiv and the surrounding region in the past year, when Russia launched 90 missiles and 600 drones on May 24, causing widespread damage across the capital.

Zelensky said the intelligence warning underscored the need for additional sanctions pressure on Russia and for partners to avoid delays in fulfilling air defense commitments to Ukraine.‌‌‌‌The president said he discussed the issue with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, including what Ukraine's partners could do in the coming weeks to strengthen the country's defenses.

"Anti-ballistic defense is a key task," Zelensky said.

Oreshnik missile 'isn't cutting-edge' as Russia claims, Ukraine says after examining parts

An examination of the wreckage of a Russian Oreshnik missile shows it contains crucial components manufactured before 2016, rubbishing the Kremlin's 2024 claims that it was a completely new weapon, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the presidential sanctions commissioner, said on May 29.

Vlasiuk was speaking at an event in Kyiv during which experts presented parts recovered from Russian missiles and drones launched at Ukraine.

Among them were the onboard computer and processor unit from an Oreshnik missile used in Russia's January strike on western Lviv Oblast.

"When we examined it, we were very surprised because (Russia) claims that it's a very new missile," Petro, an expert who asked not to disclose his full name for security reasons, said.

"This missile is not a cutting-edge development."

The missile, parts of which were displayed, was manufactured in 2017, with all electronic components dating to 2016. Some of the components were manufactured by the Belarusian Integral plant, he added.

The Oreshnik is an intermediate-range ballistic missile believed to be a modified version of the Rubezh surface-to-surface missile, itself derived from Soviet-era ballistic missile designs. It's equipped with an inertial navigation system, meaning it does not rely on satellite guidance.

Moscow first used an Oreshnik against Ukraine in November 2024, striking the city of Dnipro. Most recently, the missile targeted Bila Tserkva, a city 50 miles south of Kyiv. While Moscow has portrayed the Oreshnik as one of its most fearful weapons, evidence suggests the damage was minimal.

"Since this is a strategic-purpose missile, it is designed to carry a nuclear warhead. That is why it isn't very precise. The damage caused by the munitions packed into the missile’s warhead is almost none," Petro said.

Despite outdated technology, the missile should not be underestimated, Vlasiuk said, noting that it's almost impossible to shoot down and can't be jammed by electronic warfare systems.

"This is a terrifying weapon. It's a strategic ballistic missile. It's a demonstration… Sane people don't indulge in such demonstrations," the official told journalists.

Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 2, injure 27, hit Turkish ship over past day

Russian attacks across Ukraine hit a Turkish vessel on May 29, as in separate attacks across Ukraine, at least 2 people were killed and 25 others injured over the past day, Ukraine's Navy and local authorities said.

A Turkish dry cargo ship ANT was sailing under the flag of Vanuatu from a port in the Odesa Oblast to Turkey with cargo on board when it was attacked in a "targeted" drone strike by Russia, Ukraine's Navy said.

A fire broke out after the vessel's superstructure was hit, but it was later contained. Two injured crew members were evacuated by Ukrainian Navy boats and transported to a medical facility.

"Russia continues to deliberately threaten international maritime transport by attacking civilian infrastructure and merchant ships," Ukraine's Navy said.

Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper reported that overnight, Odesa Oblast suffered a mass attack by Russia's drones.

Kiper added that in the Black Sea, Russian drones struck three merchant ships flying the flags of Vanuatu, the Comoros, and Panama, which were traveling through the Ukrainian maritime corridor.

Russia launched 232 drones and one ballistic missile, Ukraine's Air Force reported. Out of them, 217 drones were shot down. Direct hits by a missile and 14 drones were recorded at 14 locations, and fallen debris damaged seven locations.