Romania shuts Russian consulate in Constanța, expels consul after Russian drone strike injures civilians

Romania has expelled a Russian diplomat and announced the closure of Russia’s consulate in Constanța after a Russian drone crashed into a residential apartment block near the Ukrainian border, injuring two civilians. The incident marked the first time during Russia’s war in Ukraine that a densely populated area inside a NATO member state was directly hit, causing injuries and sharply escalating tensions along the alliance’s eastern flank. Romanian President Nicușor Dan announced the measures on Friday following a meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT).

Romanian authorities said the drone strike took place overnight in the southeastern city of Galați after radar tracked a Russian drone entering Romanian airspace during a wider aerial assault on Ukraine involving 43 drones.

Romania Blames Russia for ‘Serious Incident’

In a statement posted on X, Dan directly blamed Moscow for the attack. “The entire responsibility for the serious incident in which two Romanian citizens were injured lies with Russia, a country that has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine for more than four years,” he said.

ALSO READ: RBI says West Asia conflict poses short-term risks to India’s growth and inflation, FY27 GDP growth projected at 6.9%

Dan confirmed that the Russian Consul General in Constanța had been declared “persona non grata” and that the Russian consulate in the city would be closed. He also said Romanian authorities had identified the drone as a Russian-made Geran-2 launched from Russian territory. “We know its trajectory and the path it took through Ukraine; we know how it entered Romania,” he wrote. Photos released from the scene showed extensive fire damage and charred brickwork on the roof of a 10-storey apartment building. Romanian officials said the drone exploded on impact, setting fire to a top-floor flat. A woman and a child suffered minor injuries.

NATO Condemns ‘Reckless Behaviour’

NATO condemned the incident and reaffirmed its commitment to collective defence. The alliance accused Moscow of “reckless behaviour” and pledged to “defend every inch of Allied territory”. Romania, which shares a 650-kilometre border with Ukraine, said Russian drones have violated its airspace 28 times since Moscow intensified attacks on Ukrainian Danube port infrastructure following the full-scale invasion in 2022.

ALSO READ: Are couples always happier? New study finds bad relationships may be emotionally worse than being single

Romania Accelerates Defence Measures

President Dan said Romania was moving to strengthen anti-drone defence systems through NATO and European programmes. He revealed that contracts under the SAFE defence initiative were currently being signed and that Romania had also launched joint drone production partnerships with Ukraine, alongside separate cooperation mechanisms involving the United States and the United Kingdom. “We also have a joint mechanism with the United States and the United Kingdom to accelerate the production and testing of drones and, obviously, anti-drone capabilities. And, until these pieces of equipment are delivered, we have both bilateral agreements and ones within NATO with partners for equipment to be present in Romania", he wrote.

“In the discussion I had with the NATO Secretary General, I insisted on urgency,” Dan said, adding that allied defence equipment was expected to arrive in Romania “as quickly as possible”.