Moscow does not treat the crash of a Russian attack drone in Galați, Romania as an accident

Vladimir Putin's dictatorship took another step yesterday in its escalation of provocations against NATO and its threats to peace in Europe.

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The Romanian Ministry of Defense announced: "During the night of May 28-29, the Russian Federation resumed drone attacks against civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania. A drone entered Romanian airspace, was tracked by radar systems to the southern part of the municipality of Galați and crashed into the roof of a residential building, causing a fire."

Toiu Oana, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Romania announced: "A russian drone carrying explosives, involved in the bombing of infrastructure in Ukraine crashed in Galați, Romania, causing a fire on the roof of a residential apartment building. Two persons sustained minor injuries and several residents required medical attention, the building was evacuated." She added: "This incident represents a serious and irresponsible escalation by the Russian Federation. Romania will take the necessary diplomatic response measures regarding this serious violation of international law and of its airspace."

Some have claimed that the drone crash into a residential building in Romania was an accident, as if one could describe Russia attacking civilian targets in Ukraine and its drones ending up in another country as an accident. Moscow has not addressed this matter as an accident. If it were, Russia hasn't even apologized, which would have been the logical course of action in the case of an accidental crash. Instead, Putin has denied that the drone in question is Russian, and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova threatened Romania with retaliation for the Romanian government's decision to close the Russian consulate general in Constanta.

Given this attitude from Russia, NATO must respond accordingly. Europe is suffering the effects of a hostile power that has been threatening allied countries for years and is now crashing its drones into one of them, without apologizing and, moreover, issuing new threats. New sanctions are no longer enough: allied countries must take a further step in isolating the Russian dictatorship by breaking diplomatic relations with it and actively intervening in its shadow fleet, which Russia uses not only to export its oil via ships flying false flags, but also to sabotage submarine cables. Europe is, because of Russia, in a pre-war situation, and European democratic countries cannot continue pretending otherwise and acting as if nothing is happening.

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Photo: Gavriil Grigorov / Sputnik.