A Russiandrone carrying explosives hit a residential building in the early hours of Friday, injuring two. It didn't happen in Ukraine, it happened in Romania, a member of the European Union and a NATO country.
The episode is a chilling reminder of the menace Europe is already under.
And it adds to a string of incidents, and escalation, involving drones in recent weeks against Baltic countries designed to create fear, confusion and ultimately political unrest. In Latvia, repeated failures to intercept stray drones prompted the firing of its defence minister and ultimately the collapse of the government. In Lithuania, the president and his prime minister were evacuated after an alarm system indicated imminent danger fromdrone activity coming from Belarus.
In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Romania's foreign minister Oana Toiu told my colleague Angela Skujins that the drone that crashed into an apartment block in Galați on Friday was Russian, contained explosives and had injured two civilians. "The Russian Federation bears the full responsibility of putting our citizens at risk," she said. Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled after the drones were first detected in Romanian airspace. It is a serious escalation.
Europeans must wake up to a new reality: the EU is not at war with Russia, but the Russian Federation represents a clear, tangible security risk that requires a complete change in mentality. And second, the nature of war is radically changing — Europeans must adapt to it. These drones are cheap to make; can be mass produced quickly and carry out a double mission: create fear and test NATO.
While EU leaders were quick to express their "utmost solidarity" to Bucharest and the US ambassador to NATO vowed to protect every inch of NATO territory in the aftermath of the Romanian drone crash, the truth is that these incursions — even as they become more frequent and dangerous — have not immediately triggered a meaningful reaction beyond words.
I am not questioning the value of the alliance or the power of NATO: it is still essential to Europe's security and, for the eastern flank, a vital pillar. But it is also clear that the EU must now develop its own capabilities.
The answer to this new menace lies in Ukraine.
The country, out of necessity and instinct for survival, has developed top-tier drone technology that was once described to me by a weapons contractor for the EU as "f***ing amazing". Ukraine has had to reinvent itself and redefine the rules of modern war. Drone warfare, they have mastered. And the rest of Europe needs them.
Ukraine routinely intercepts around 90% of Russian drones, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Defence. It has also built a large network of drone producers and is believed to be producing around four million drones a year.
The figures are impressive and the EU must draw operational lessons from Europe's largest and most battle-ready army. This can be achieved by setting out a new, common European counter-drone defence doctrine, bringing Ukraine closer as an active participant, in coordination with NATO.
Secondly, the EU must get serious about the technology and production capabilities — including Ukraine here also makes sense — it needs to deter a threat that will only grow from here and set a deadline for it. The strategy must be a common one for the EU and Ukraine.
Ukrainians have something Europeans need: the know-how and the battle experience. Flying up fighter jets to destroy cheap drones isn't sustainable and does not reflect the nature of a new type of warfare. So, let's use it. | 
