Russian drone targeting Ukraine goes astray, crashes into apartment building in NATO member Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A Russian drone that was part of an overnight attack on Ukraine and then went astray slammed into an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people in the NATO member country, Romanian authorities said, adding to concerns that the war could spread across the alliance’s borders.

The Russian drone was tracked by radar in Romanian airspace and crashed onto the roof of the building in the city of Galati, Romania’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. The impact was followed by a fire. The two people suffered minor injuries, and several others were evacuated.

The Romanian military scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a helicopter that were authorized to engage targets, and alert messages were sent to residents of the affected areas. But the aircraft didn’t engage or shoot at the drone to bring it down.

Romania asked NATO for a faster transfer of anti-drone capabilities to its military, the Foreign Ministry said, calling the drone's flight a serious violation of international law.

The incursion was the latest in a litany of drone incidents — from both Russia and Ukraine — to afflict NATO member states and leave the 32-member trans-Atlantic organization on edge, drawing strong condemnation from Romania's allies.

Gen. Gheorghe Maxim, a stand-in commander for the Romanian armed forces' joint staff, told a news conference on Friday that the strike in Galati wasn't “an attack from Russia against Romania,” but “Romanians should understand that Russia is a threat to the security of the countries in the area.”

Galati is on the Danube River, near the borders of Ukraine and Moldova.

Ukrainian forces shot down 217 drones overnight on Friday, according to the country’s air force. In total, Russia attacked with 232 drones and one ballistic missile. Strikes were recorded in 14 areas, the air force said.

While Romania has confirmed drone fragments on its territory on multiple occasions since the war started on Feb. 24, 2022, including in Galati in April this year, no one has previously been hurt in any of the drone incidents, in which many landed in remote areas.

In response to the latest incursion, Romanian President Nicusor Dan convened the NATO member’s top defense body for a meeting on Friday to discuss the implications of what he called “the worst incident to hit the national territory” since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and blamed Russia directly for the incident.

“We will have proportional measures in relation to the Russian Federation. ... There is no ambiguity about the author and the cause of this assault,” he wrote in a post on Facebook. He said that his thoughts are with the injured people, families and residents “who experienced terrible moments in their own homes.”

After the Supreme Council of National Defense meeting in Bucharest, Dan said that the Russian consul in the Black Sea port city of Constanta has been declared persona non grata and that the consulate there will be closed. Russia also has an embassy in Romania's capital, Bucharest.

In recent years, airspace violations have become so common in Romania that lawmakers adopted legislation last year allowing the army to shoot down drones entering its airspace as a last resort. But Romania has remained cautious in downing errant drones, which can pose risks to populated areas.

Russia has been using long-range ballistic missiles and drones to damage Ukraine’s power grid and hammer cities, and Ukraine has braced for further heavy bombardments.

The latest incident adds to recent drone-related problems posed to Europe. Over the past few months, Ukrainian drones have crashed into the chimney of a power plant in Estonia, hit empty fuel tanks in Latvia and been shot down by Romanian fighter jets stationed in Lithuania. Ukrainian officials apologized and said that the drones were aimed at military targets inside Russia, but were sent off course by Russian electronic interference.

Since the war started nearly 4½ year ago, Poland, Croatia, Romania and non-NATO member Moldova have reported airspace violations and have found drone fragments on their territory.

The string of airspace violations has prompted questions about the state of air defenses on NATO’s eastern flank.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that he had spoken to Romania’s president and expressed the organization’s “absolute solidarity” with its ally.

Rutte said in an X post that he “affirmed that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory. We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones.”

NATO allies are talking informally about the incursion, but no official meeting about it was due to take place on Friday. Romania can request formal NATO consultations, if it feels that it’s territory or security is under threat.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said the incident showed that Russia "has crossed yet another line.” She said the EU will keep strengthening security along its eastern border and was actively drafting another set of sanctions against Russia, the 21st so far.

“A Russian drone incursion struck a densely populated area in Romania, injuring civilians,” she wrote in a social media post. “On EU territory.”

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that the risk of such “serious incidents” was raised by “ Putin’s increasing nervousness, driven by military setbacks.”

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This story has been corrected to remove the reference to Galati being east of the Ukraine and Moldova borders, since the city is to the west of them.

Stephen McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England.

A serviceman of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence prepares an An-196 Liutyi (Fierce) one-way deep strike drone in an undisclosed location in Ukraine late Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Servicemen of Ukraine's defense intelligence set up the Peklo (Hell) missile drone against Russian in an undisclosed location in Ukraine late Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, May 27, 2026., Russian servicemen prepare to launch an interceptor drone for an action in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, not seen, give a joint news conference at the F16 air flotilla in Uppsala, Sweden, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying before House lawmakers investigating Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse cases, a long-awaited appearance that brings fresh scrutiny of the Trump administration's botched release of the Epstein case files.

Bondi was defiant in previous public testimony when she was confronted by lawmakers about the Epstein investigation. It's unclear whether she'll bring the same approach Friday, now that she is no longer in charge of the Justice Department. The session will be held behind closed doors.

The transcribed Bondi interview will give lawmakers a chance to dig for information on the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files and other related matters, including the prison sentence of Epstein's former girlfriend and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell.

“I think she absolutely could clear up many missing pieces if she wanted to,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari, an Arizona Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. “Now it’s a question of whether or not she is willing to be transparent.”

Epstein killed himself in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. Maxwell, a British socialite, was convicted in 2021 of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein but has insisted she’s innocent, arguing she never should have been prosecuted. The Justice Department moved Maxwell from a federal prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas last August.

Lawmakers are trying to find out what decisions prosecutors have made about investigating Epstein associates, how the Justice Department handled the congressional mandate to release the Epstein case files and whether President Donald Trump was involved in the process.

Bondi, who revealed this week that she is being treated for thyroid cancer, has stayed within the Republican president's orbit even after being ousted from her job in early April.

Trump appointed Bondi to a White House panel on artificial intelligence this week, and she will be accompanied Friday by Justice Department officials, including Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the department's Civil Rights Division, acting as her counsel.

Democrats say that arrangement is a conflict of interest.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department said the officials were there to help lawmakers understand the department's process for releasing the case files.

Bondi has been central to the political firestorm over Epstein, initially raising expectations for the full release of what's known as the Epstein files, only to later backtrack. That reversal prompted Congress to step in and pass a law requiring the release.

Bondi faced even more backlash when the Justice Department's release of the files was delayed and then included personal information of several potential victims. She has insisted in congressional hearings that she was trying to follow the law.

The House Oversight Committee, meanwhile, has been conducting a wide-ranging investigation into Epstein that spans multiple presidential administrations.

Bondi was subpoenaed by the committee in March in a bipartisan vote, but she tried to head off that demand by holding a closed-door meeting with lawmakers that month. The maneuver only added to the enmity between Bondi and Democrats on the committee.

Bondi's departure from the Justice Department also raised doubts about the enforcement of the congressional subpoena. After the committee's Democrats maneuvered to press for a civil contempt of Congress resolution against Bondi, she agreed to sit for a transcribed interview rather than a sworn deposition.

Democrats on the Oversight panel have criticized that arrangement, saying that it allows Bondi to decline to answer questions. They have also pressed the Republican chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, to record the interview on video.

“A failure to film and release a video of Ms. Bondi’s testimony would present a grave injustice to the American people and survivors of Epstein’s crimes,” the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, wrote to Comer.

Comer has said he is allowing Bondi to sit for a transcribed interview rather than a deposition as an incentive to cooperate. Previously, he had enforced a subpoena on former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after they resisted the demand. Both of their depositions were video-recorded.

Still, Comer said Bondi could face prosecution if she lies to Congress. He said the committee would also release a transcript of the interview.

“Hopefully that will be good enough,” he said.

Follow the AP's coverage of the Jeffrey Epstein case at https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein.

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives for her deposition at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, Friday, May 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Ceneta)

FILE - Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 11, 2026, in front of survivors of convicted sex offended Jeffrey Epstein. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner, File)

FILE - Attorney General Pam Bondi faces questions in the House Judiciary Committee over the Justice Department's handling of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)