Romania shuts Russian consulate in Constanta, declares consul persona non grata after drone strike

That is according to Romania Journal, Ukrinform reports.

Dan announced a series of strong diplomatic and security measures following an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT), convened after the overnight incident involving a Russian Geran-2 drone.

He confirmed that Romania holds the Russian Federation fully responsible for the incident.

"We had a serious incident last night in which two Romanian citizens were injured, and full responsibility lies with Russia," Dan said.

He added that the Russian consul in Constanța had been declared persona non grata and that the entire consular mission would be closed.

As a result, only the Russian embassy in Bucharest and the consular section attached to it will remain in Romania.

Dan stated that the Russian drone that struck the building in Galați was part of a "swarm" of 43 drones launched by Russia toward targets in Ukraine. He also criticized some Romanian politicians for attempts to downplay Russia's responsibility for the incident.

According to The Guardian, Russia immediately reacted to Romania's decision, saying it would "respond soon."

Earlier reports said that a drone struck a residential building in the eastern Romanian city of Galați near the Ukrainian border, injuring two people. The incident occurred at around 02:00 local time.

According to Romania's Ministry of National Defense, the drone entered Romanian airspace as part of a larger group, but only one UAV hit the residential building and exploded on impact. Another drone without an explosive payload was found in Maramureș County in northwestern Romania.

Photo: Anadolu