MOSCOW, May 29 - Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, said on Friday that drones would continue to stray into European countries and disturb the peace of their populations. His remarks followed NATO's criticism of Russia's conduct and the alliance's pledge to "defend every inch of Allied territory" after Romanian authorities reported a Russian drone had struck an apartment block in Romania during an attack on neighbouring Ukraine.
Medvedev said it still needed to be ascertained which country the drone belonged to, but he criticised European leaders for expressing outrage while, in his view, directly participating in the conflict with Russia. "Let them get ready: this will continue to happen," he said in a statement. "There is a war going on! And the citizens of EU states, as the population of the belligerent countries, will not be able to sleep peacefully."
He added that such incidents were especially likely in locations where drones were being produced for Ukraine. "After all, European drones, spare parts for them, and other weapons, not to mention intelligence, are used in attacks on our country every day. As a result of their actions, residential buildings are being damaged, in which our civilians are dying," Medvedev said.
The TASS state news agency reported earlier on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the drone incident in Romania. Separately, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow would react swiftly to Romania's decision to close the Russian consulate in Constanta, a retaliatory step taken by Bucharest following the crash.
NATO's response included an accusation of reckless behaviour by Moscow and a commitment to protect allied territory following the incident reported by Romania. Romanian officials said the drone crashed into an apartment building during an attack on Ukraine; questions about the drone's origin and ownership were highlighted by Medvedev and others.
The statements from Moscow and the diplomatic moves by Romania underscore ongoing tensions tied to cross-border incidents involving unmanned aircraft. Attribution of individual drones and responsibility for particular crashes remains a central uncertainty in public statements from the parties involved.
Clear summary
Dmitry Medvedev warned European governments that drones will continue to enter their airspace and affect civilians after Romania reported a drone crash into an apartment block. NATO condemned the event and vowed to defend alliance territory. Russia said the drone's ownership must be established and indicated it would respond to Romania's closure of its consulate in Constanta.