Romanian president Nicușor Dan said on Sunday, May 31, that a technical investigation has conclusively determined that the drone that crashed into a residential building in Galați last week was a Russian-made Geran-2. The findings will be shared with Romania’s allies in NATO and the European Union, he added.
The statements came days after a Russian drone crashed into an apartment block in Galați during a large-scale attack on Ukrainian targets near Romania’s border, injuring two people and prompting the evacuation of around 70 residents.
Publishing images of the recovered wreckage on social media, president Dan said Romanian specialists had completed their final technical report and concluded “without doubt” that the drone was of Russian origin.
According to the president, investigators identified the Cyrillic inscription “ГЕРАН-2” on recovered fragments. The drone’s electronic components, navigation systems, control modules, engine, and structural elements were also found to be identical or highly similar to those of other Geran-2 drones previously recovered on Romanian territory and confirmed to have been manufactured in Russia.
The report further concluded that manufacturing markings, technical inscriptions, construction characteristics, and materials matched those found on Geran-2 drones analyzed in recent years. Physical and chemical analyses also confirmed the presence of the same types of materials and fuel repeatedly identified in this drone series.
“Based on all these elements, the investigation concludes unequivocally that the fragments recovered in Galați originated from a Russian-made Geran-2 drone,” Nicușor Dan said.
“The fact that such an aircraft struck a residential apartment building in Romania, causing injuries and material damage, is an extremely serious matter, and Russia bears sole responsibility. The safety of Romanian citizens and the integrity of the national territory are fundamental obligations of the Romanian state and will be defended with the utmost firmness,” he added.
The findings were released after Russian president Vladimir Putin questioned the drone’s Russian origin and suggested that the wreckage should be handed over to Moscow for examination. Speaking to reporters in Kazakhstan, as reported by Reuters, Putin said no one could determine the drone’s origin without a proper investigation.
The incident was also discussed at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council requested by Romania. Addressing the council, Romanian foreign minister Oana Țoiu said the Galați drone crash marked the first time Romania had sought an emergency Security Council session over a direct threat to its security.
“We have a joint responsibility not just to draw a line, but to make sure that we do not move that line,” she said. “It is imperative for the Council to address such unnecessary escalation by the Russian Federation in its war of aggression…We should not consider this current escalation as the new normal.”
At the same meeting, Kayoko Gotoh, a director in the UN political and peace departments, acknowledged that, “last Friday, a dangerous incident crystallized our oft-stated warnings about potential spillover of the war.” She further noted that although this was not the first reported breach of Romanian airspace by an armed drone since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was the first time such an incident resulted in casualties.
Meanwhile, Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said Romania “hastily convened” the meeting and “immediately put forward unfounded and biased accusations” against his country, calling for “a thorough, objective and depoliticised” investigation into the full circumstances.
Romania decided to close the Russian Consulate General in Constanța and expel its consul general following the crash of the Russian drone into the residential building in Galați, which the president described as “the most serious incident affecting Romanian territory” since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Facebook/Nicusor Dan)
Leave a Reply