Lithuanian PM condemns drone strike on Romanian apartment block

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė has expressed solidarity with Romania after a drone struck a residential building in the country’s eastern region, calling the incident “unacceptable” and warning it must not become a new reality, LRT reports.

“Another drone intrusion into NATO’s eastern flank due to Russia’s war against Ukraine—this time in Romania, where people were injured. This must not become a new reality we simply grow accustomed to,” Ruginienė wrote Friday on social media platform X.

She stressed the urgent need to “maximise pressure on Russia to end its brutal and criminal war, strengthen support for Ukraine, and take decisive action to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank.”

Romania’s foreign ministry accused Russia of “serious and irresponsible escalation” after the drone, which reportedly crossed from Ukraine, hit the apartment building near the Ukrainian border. Emergency services confirmed two people suffered injuries from shattered glass, while the resulting fire was extinguished.

A no-fly alert issued overnight due to potential Russian strikes in neighbouring Ukraine was lifted Friday morning.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, drone incursions into NATO territory have been documented dozens of times. However, this marks the first instance of a drone directly hitting a residential building.