President Nicusor Dan announced that the drone which crashed in Galati in the early hours of Friday was a Geran-2 of Russian origin, stressing that Romania 'will neither ignore nor downplay' any incident that endangers the lives of its citizens, national security or the sovereignty of the Romanian state.

'This is the unequivocal conclusion of the technical report completed by Romanian state experts. The investigation determined this on the basis of a consistent set of technical evidence. On the recovered fragments, a Cyrillic inscription (...) was identified, and the electronic components, navigation systems, command modules, engine and structural elements analysed show similarities up to identity with those of other Geran-2 drones previously recovered on Romanian territory and identified with certainty as being manufactured in the Russian Federation,' the president said on Sunday on social media.

The head of the state noted that the report also shows that the manufacturing markings, technical inscriptions, structural characteristics and materials used follow the same technological process observed in Geran-2 drones examined in recent years.

'The physico-chemical analyses confirmed the presence of the same types of materials and fuels repeatedly identified in aircraft from this series. Based on all these elements, the investigation concludes unequivocally that the fragments recovered in Galati come from a Geran-2 drone of Russian origin,' the president stated.

Nicusor Dan termed the strike on a residential building in Romania with such a device as extremely serious, holding Russia responsible, and emphasized that Romania will continue to work with its partners to strengthen security on NATO's eastern flank.

'The fact that such a device struck a residential building in Romania, causing injuries and material damage, is extremely serious, and the only party responsible is Russia. The safety of Romanian citizens and the integrity of national territory are fundamental obligations of the Romanian state and will be defended with full firmness. The results of this investigation will be communicated to our allies and to the competent structures within NATO and the European Union. Romania will continue to act together with its partners to strengthen security on the Alliance's eastern border and to protect its citizens. Romania will not ignore and will not downplay any incident that endangers the lives of its citizens, national security or the sovereignty of the Romanian state,' Nicusor Dan underscored.

A drone crashed into a residential block in Galati in the early hours of Friday, with the impact triggering an explosion and a fire. According to Romania's Defense Ministry, the payload of the Russian-origin Geran-2 drone detonated on impact. The incident prompted condemnation from EU and NATO leadership, as well as from several member states of both organizations. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Popescu; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)