Romania expels Russian embassy staff member after repeated airspace violations

Romania has declared a member of the Russian embassy staff persona non grata and ordered the diplomat to leave the country within five days.

According to Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision follows three incidents between 24 and 26 July in which Russian drones violated Romanian airspace.

The Russian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where Romanian officials presented fragments of one of the drones shot down over the country. The Ministry said an investigation by the prosecutor’s office had officially confirmed that the recovered components were of Russian origin.

Romania lodged a strong protest over the airspace violations, stating that responsibility for the incidents lies entirely with Russia. Bucharest stressed that such actions are unacceptable, as they violate not only Romanian airspace but also that of NATO and the European Union.

Following the meeting, the Russian ambassador was handed a diplomatic note informing him that a member of the Russian diplomatic mission in Bucharest had been declared persona non grata. Romania’s Foreign Ministry also recalled its ambassador to Russia to Bucharest for consultations.

Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down three Russian drones over the course of three days.