Romania Expelled a Russian Diplomat Following Drone Attacks

Romania has declared one of the staff members of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest persona non grata following a series of violations of the country’s airspace by Russian drones. At the same time, the Russian ambassador was summoned to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and presented with a note of protest.

This was reported by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Officials in Bucharest stated that the decision was a response to repeated violations of Romanian airspace on July 24–26. During that time, the Romanian military shot down three drones that had illegally entered the country’s territory.

During the meeting, the Russian ambassador was shown debris from one of the downed drones. According to the Romanian Prosecutor General’s Office, the investigation officially confirmed that the debris was of Russian origin.

The Romanian side lodged a strong protest against Russia’s actions, emphasizing that violations of the country’s airspace are unacceptable, as this also concerns the airspace of NATO and the European Union.

In addition, the Russian diplomat was handed a note declaring one of the staff members of the Russian diplomatic mission a persona non grata. He must leave Romanian territory within five days.

At the same time, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalled its ambassador from Russia for consultations.

The ministry emphasized that the country will coordinate further actions with its NATO and EU allies and will continue to take all necessary measures to protect national security.

According to Romanian media reports, the country’s military spent approximately 1.5 million euros in just three days to shoot down three Russian drones. The bulk of the cost was attributed to the AIM-9X missiles fired by F-16 fighter jets.

As a reminder, on July 26, the Romanian military shot down a Russian Shahed drone for the second time in two days; the drone had violated the country’s airspace near the Odessa region. Romanian President Nicușor Dan stated that Bucharest is preparing a diplomatic protest against Russia once the investigation into the incidents is complete.

Андрій Колісніченко