Romania’s Ministry of Defence said the drone was tracked by radar after entering Romanian airspace during overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine near the Danube border region.
According to Bucharest, the aircraft eventually crashed into the roof of an apartment building, sparking a fire and injuring civilians.
The incident triggered an immediate military response, with NATO-member Romania scrambling F-16 fighter jets and activating emergency alerts across Tulcea, Galati and Braila counties.
President Putin, however, while speaking after the incident, questioned whether investigators had conclusively proven the drone was Russian.
Ms von der Leyen was not in Romania. She did not examine the remains of this drone,” he added, referring to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Putin argued that previous drone incidents in European countries had initially been blamed on Russia before later being linked to Ukrainian aircraft that had allegedly veered off course.
According to Putin, some drones may have malfunctioned, lost navigation control or been affected by electronic warfare systems.
The Kremlin’s narrative was reinforced by Russia’s envoy to Romania, Vladimir Lipaev, who claimed there was “no evidence” proving the crashed drone originated from Russia. He also accused Kyiv of attempting to draw Romania and NATO deeper into the war.
“Kiev is trying to drag Romania and NATO into war with Russia,” Lipaev reportedly said in comments carried by RT International.
The clash over the drone incident comes amid intensifying cross-border security fears across Eastern Europe as Russia and Ukraine increasingly rely on long-range drones and missile strikes.
Romania’s Defense Ministry has maintained that Russia resumed attacks on Ukrainian civilian and infrastructure targets near the Romanian border during the night of May 28–29.
Putin accused European governments of exploiting the incidents to justify soaring defense expenditures and continued military support for Ukraine.
The remarks come as NATO countries continue strengthening air-defense systems along the alliance’s eastern flank amid fears that accidental or deliberate cross-border incidents could trigger a wider confrontation between Russia and the military bloc.
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