[Source: Reuters]

NATO accused Moscow on Friday of reckless behaviour and pledged to “defend every inch of Allied territory” after Romania said a Russian drone ​had crashed into an apartment block in the alliance member state during an attack on neighbouring Ukraine.

Romania’s defence ministry said a woman and a child suffered minor injuries in Galati near the border ‌with Ukraine overnight after radar tracked a Russian drone entering Romanian airspace.

Photos from the scene showed charred and damaged brickwork on the roof of the 10-storey apartment block, which Romanian authorities said was hit by a drone that exploded on impact, tearing through a top-floor flat.

Russia’s TASS news agency cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the incident. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said all the accusations about Russian drones flying in Europe were unsubstantiated, RIA reported.

Separately, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s powerful Security Council, warned European leaders that drones ​would continue to stray into their countries and prevent their populations from sleeping peacefully.

It was the first time a densely populated area in a NATO country had been hit causing injuries during Russia’s war in Ukraine, and ​the incident is likely to increase tensions on the alliance’s eastern flank as member states worry about the war spilling over their borders.

The U.S. ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, condemned the “reckless ⁠incursion” in a post on X and pledged the U.S. “will defend every inch of NATO territory.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said ​on X after speaking by phone to Romanian President Nicusor Dan, whose country is in both the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union.

“I affirmed that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory,” he said, without making ​any mention of triggering NATO’s mutual defence clause. “We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones.”