Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Russia warns Romania expulsion ‘will not go unanswered’ after three drones shot down
Russia warned Romania on Monday that the expulsion of a Russian embassy employee “will not go unanswered” after Bucharest linked the move to repeated drone incursions into its airspace.
Romania, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev and informed him that a member of Moscow’s diplomatic mission in Bucharest had been declared undesirable.
The employee must leave Romania within five days.
Romania said it had shot down three drones on three consecutive days at the end of last week. Its defence ministry reported another brief drone incursion on Monday.
Romanian authorities showed Lipayev fragments of the first drone, which an F-16 fighter jet shot down on Friday.
An investigation identified it as a Russian Shahed drone, Romanian authorities said.
Investigations into two other drones shot down on Saturday and Sunday were continuing.
A senior NATO military spokesperson said on Sunday that one of those drones also appeared to be of Russian origin.
Russia’s foreign ministry said it “categorically rejects these baseless accusations” and described the expulsion as “new staged propaganda”.
It said Romania had presented no proof that the drones were Russian.
Romania has reported dozens of airspace violations and drone crashes since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Two people were injured in May when a drone struck an apartment building in Galati, near the Ukrainian border.
Update
Russia denounced Romania's expulsion decision and said it would not go unanswered.
Russia's foreign ministry rejected Romania's accusations as baseless and said no proof of Russian origin for the drones had been presented.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 16:39:10 UTC.
Update
Romania's defence ministry reported a new brief drone incursion into Romanian airspace on Monday.
Romanian authorities showed Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev fragments of the drone shot down on Friday.
Romanian authorities said an investigation identified the Friday drone as a Russian Shahed model.
The foreign ministry said the expelled embassy employee must leave Romania within five days.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 14:02:55 UTC.
Update
Romania expelled a Russian embassy employee after repeated drone incursions into its airspace.
Romania told the Russian ambassador the staffer must leave Romanian territory within five days.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 13:00:08 UTC.
Update
A senior NATO military spokesperson said the drone shot down on Sunday appeared to be of Russian origin.
Romania integrated the U.S.-made MEROPS counter-drone system into its defences at the end of June.
Romania reported that a drone smashed into an apartment building in Galati in May, wounding two people.
Romania adopted a law in 2025 allowing drones that breach its airspace to be shot down.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 July 2026 at 13:05:26 UTC.
Update
Romania said it was summoning Russia's ambassador over repeated airspace violations.
President Nicusor Dan said an investigation found that the drone shot down on Friday was a Shahed model used by Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Dan said investigations into the drones shot down on Saturday and Sunday were still ongoing.
The source adds context that Romania had reported frequent drone incursions during the Ukraine war but had not shot any down until Friday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 July 2026 at 09:57:19 UTC.
Update
Romania said an F-16 shot down a drone over the Black Sea on Sunday, five minutes after it entered Romanian airspace.
President Nicusor Dan accused Russia of continuing to violate Romania's airspace.
Dan said an investigation found the drone shot down on Friday was a Shahed model used by Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Investigations into the drones shot down on Saturday and Sunday were still ongoing.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 July 2026 at 08:30:31 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Investigations into the drones shot down on Saturday and Sunday are still ongoing.
Russia disputes Romania's allegations about the origin of the drones.
Source
AFP news report published on .