Romania has expelled a senior Russian diplomat and ordered the closure of a consulate after a Russian drone crashed into a residential building during a wave of strikes on Ukraine, in an incident that has sharply escalated tensions on NATO’s eastern flank and raised fresh fears of spillover from the war.
The drone, identified by Romanian authorities as a Russian Geran-2 drone, struck a 10-storey apartment block in the city of Galați, causing injuries, evacuations and prompting a major emergency response as debris and damage spread through the building.
Two people were taken to the hospital, and around 70 residents were evacuated after the impact, which occurred during what officials described as an intense Russian aerial barrage on Ukrainian targets near the Danube corridor.
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Romanian officials said the incident represented one of the most serious security breaches on national territory since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Following an emergency meeting of Romania’s National Security Council, President Nicușor Dan announced that the Russian consulate general in the Black Sea port of Constanța would be shut down and that the Russian consul would be declared persona non grata.
“Last night, a serious incident took place in which two Romanian citizens were injured, and Russia bears full responsibility for it,” Mr Dan said. “The Russian consul general in Constanța has been declared persona non grata, and the consulate will be closed.
“We also discussed civil defence at the Supreme Council of National Defence meeting. Last night’s response was very swift, and the interior minister informed us about the measures already taken for the entire potentially affected area, increasing the number of personnel and measures. So we are prepared in this regard.”
The decision marks a significant diplomatic escalation between Bucharest and Moscow, with Romania effectively downgrading one of Russia’s remaining diplomatic footholds on the Black Sea.
Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu confirmed that technical assessments carried out by Romanian teams had established that the drone was of Russian origin and had been carrying explosive payload at the time of impact.
“We do consider it the full responsibility of the Russian Federation that our civilians were put at risk,” she said. “We have final confirmation from the teams on the ground that the drone is a Russian drone and it was carrying explosive material.”
She added that the closure of the consulate and expulsion of the Russian consul were intended as a clear diplomatic signal to Moscow that civilian safety and territorial integrity were non-negotiable priorities.
The incident was also raised in discussions with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who expressed “absolute solidarity” with Romania and reaffirmed the alliance’s commitment to defend “every inch of Allied territory”.
Romania, which shares a long border with Ukraine, has repeatedly experienced airspace disruptions, drone debris incidents and heightened military alerts since Russia launched its invasion. However, officials said the Galați strike was particularly serious due to the direct impact on a populated residential building.
Emergency services were deployed to evacuate residents and secure the building, while authorities assessed structural damage and investigated the extent of the blast impact. The incident prompted renewed scrutiny of air defence coverage along Romania’s eastern border, which has become increasingly exposed due to proximity to Ukrainian transport and energy infrastructure.
The Kremlin, however, rejected responsibility for the incident. Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned preliminary assessments, suggesting without evidence that the drone could have been of Ukrainian origin.
“I don’t know what kind of drone exploded in Romania. Send us the remains,” he said, according to reports, in comments that further inflamed tensions between Moscow and Nato members.
Moscow has repeatedly denied involvement in similar incidents in Nato territory, despite multiple cases in which Russian drones and missile fragments have crossed borders during strikes on Ukrainian targets.
Security analysts say the Galați incident underscores a growing risk that Russia’s long-range strike campaign against Ukraine increasingly carries spillover consequences for neighbouring Nato states, particularly those along the Black Sea corridor.
The diplomatic fallout is likely to deepen mistrust between Russia and Nato, with eastern European members warning that even unintended cross-border incidents are contributing to a dangerous erosion of stability along the alliance’s frontier.
For Romania, the decision to expel a senior Russian diplomat signals a hardening posture in response to repeated aerial incidents, and a warning that further violations—intentional or otherwise—will trigger swift political consequences.
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