OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
12:01 PM – Friday, May 29, 2026
In an escalation of rhetoric following a major security breach on NATO territory, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, issued a fiery warning to the European Union on Friday.
Responding to widespread condemnation after a suspected Russian drone struck a residential apartment building in the eastern Romanian city of Galați, Medvedev told European citizens to brace for more incidents, declaring that “the peaceful sleep is over.”
“Citizens of EU countries, You should realize your authorities have unilaterally entered into a war with Russia,” the senior Russian official wrote in a post on social platform X. “So be vigilant and don’t be surprised by anything. The peaceful sleep is over. But you know who to ask why.”
The crash, the first time a drone has hit a densely populated area inside a NATO member state since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, has drastically heightened tensions on Europe’s eastern flank.
The diplomatic fallout intensified swiftly following the overnight strike, which saw a Geran-2 drone cross into Romanian airspace for approximately four minutes before crashing into the roof of a ten-story apartment building, injuring a woman and a child. In immediate retaliation, Romanian authorities announced the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Constanța.
Later, in a profanity-laced statement published on social media, Medvedev dismissed the ensuing European outrage, mocking regional leaders and asserting that EU nations have forfeited any right to complain since they have “unilaterally entered into a war with Russia” by supplying weaponry, components, and intelligence to Kyiv.
Medvedev argued that since European states are directly participating in the conflict, their own populations must face the consequences of a wartime environment. He further stressed that similar drone incursions will inevitably continue, particularly near locations linked to the production or transit of military assets destined for Ukraine.
While Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Putin was fully briefed on the situation, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova attempted to dismiss the accusations as unsubstantiated, while simultaneously promising a swift, symmetric response to Romania’s decision to shutter the Constanța consulate.
The incident has since triggered a unified front from Western leadership, with NATO and EU officials describing the strike as a reckless escalation. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte strongly condemned Moscow’s behavior as a danger to the entire region, reaffirming the alliance’s unwavering commitment to defend every inch of allied territory.
Concurrently, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that Russia’s “war of aggression” had crossed yet another line, promising that the political bloc would continue to tighten sanctions and ramp up defensive pressure.
As Romanian military officials acknowledged the extreme difficulty of intercepting low-altitude drones over urban centers, Bucharest has formally requested that its NATO allies deploy advanced, low-altitude radars and interceptor drones to fortify its vulnerable 650-kilometer border with Ukraine.
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