Is this the moment that could start WW3 as Russia hits NATO member with drones

The strike marks another escalation

In the early hours of Friday morning, a Russian drone hit a Romanian block of flats, injuring two people and causing a fire.

As per Romanian authorities, the incident on the eastern city of Galați - which is near the tripoint between Ukraine, Moldova and Romania - was part of an attack on Ukraine.

In response, F-16 fighter jets were scrambled by the NATO nation.

Romania's Foreign Minister Toiu Oana described the incident as a "serious and irresponsible escalation" from the Russian Federation.

She wrote on X: "This incident represents a serious and irresponsible escalation on the part of the Russian Federation. Romania will take the necessary diplomatic measures in response to this serious violation of international law and its airspace.

"Romania has informed the Allies and the NATO Secretary General of the circumstances and has requested measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania."

But what happens now that a member of the alliance has been hit, and will NATO react back?

Collective defence and Article 5 and what it could mean next

Collective defence is NATO’s most fundamental principle, as stated on the NATO website.

As per NATO, "Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all. Since 1949, this unwavering pledge has bound together a group of like-minded countries from Europe and North America, which have committed themselves to protecting each other in a spirit of solidarity."

"NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in its history after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States in 2001."

"While Article 5 itself has been applied only once, it underpins all of NATO’s broader activities in the field of deterrence and defence, including the regular conduct of military exercises and the deployment of NATO’s standing military forces."

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also condemned the drone strike as well as "Russia's reckless behaviour."

"I just spoke with the President of Romania about the Russian drone that hit a residential building in Galati.

"I assured him of NATO’s absolute solidarity with Romania and expressed sympathy for those injured in the incident.

"I 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.

"Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all. They continue to target civilians and civilian infrastructure across Ukraine.

"And last night showed yet again that the implications of their illegal war of aggression don’t stop at the border. Russia’s war needs to end, as does Russia’s disregard for civilian safety.

"For our part, we will continue to strengthen our deterrence and defence at home and continue our support for Ukraine as they defend against Russia’s aggression."

Russian missiles and drones have breached alliance airspace in the past

While Russia has not carried out direct, deliberate military strikes targeting a NATO member since the war in Ukraine began, Russian missiles and attack drones have repeatedly breached alliance airspace during strikes on Ukraine, and Russia has waged a covert campaign of hybrid warfare.

Russian drones and loitering munitions have repeatedly crossed into NATO airspace - most notably in Poland, Romania, Estonia, and Latvia.

By officials in the West, these are widely viewed as aggressive probes or stress tests, rather than intended attacks on the host nations.

Meanwhile, intelligence and security agencies have documented an extensive "shadow war" of Russian-backed operations on NATO soil.

This includes targeted sabotage of critical infrastructure (such as railways and undersea cables), cyberattacks, and targeted violence.

And since these actions fall below the threshold of an armed attack, NATO has treated them as severe provocations and hybrid warfare rather than triggering Article 5 and collective defence.

Last year, NATO set the record straight and gave a detailed breakdown of alliance responses to these incursions.

It added that "NATO does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia. The Alliance will continue to respond to Russian threats and actions in a united and responsible way."

While this latest incident is a clear violation of a NATO member and has been condemned by the alliance, it is unlikely to be the trigger for all out war, but the latest step on the ladder of escalation.