Romania expels Russian consul general over drone incident in Galați

Romania has decided to expel the Russian consul general following a drone incident in which a drone struck an apartment building in the city of Galați during a Russian overnight air attack on Ukraine. The incident has caused a serious diplomatic row between Bucharest and Moscow.

Romania has announced the expulsion of Russia's consul general in response to a drone that struck a residential apartment building in the Romanian city of Galați during a Russian overnight air raid on Ukraine. The incident has sharply escalated tensions between Bucharest and Moscow.

The drone, launched as part of Russia's aerial assault on Ukraine, crossed into Romanian territory and hit a residential building in Galați, a city located near the Ukrainian border along the Danube River. The incursion into NATO member Romania's airspace and the damage caused to a civilian residential property triggered an immediate diplomatic response from the Romanian government.

Bucharest declared the Russian consul general persona non grata and ordered the diplomat to leave the country. The decision reflects Romania's firm stance against what it considers a direct violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity as a NATO ally.

The incident adds to growing concerns among NATO's eastern flank members about the spillover effects of Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. Romanian officials have consistently demanded that Russia be held accountable for incursions into allied territory. This is not the first time drones linked to the conflict in Ukraine have landed or crashed on Romanian soil, heightening public and political alarm in the country.