Romania to close Russian Consulate in Constanța and expel consul after Galați drone crash

Romania will close the Russian Consulate General in Constanța and expel its consul general following the crash of a Russian drone into a residential building in Galați, president Nicușor Dan announced on Friday, May 29. The decision was taken after a meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT), convened in response to what the president described as the most serious incident affecting Romanian territory since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking after the security council meeting, Dan said the Russian Federation bears full responsibility for the incident, which injured two Romanian citizens and caused significant damage to a residential building in Galați.

“We had a serious incident last night in which two Romanian citizens were injured, and the entire responsibility for this incident belongs to Russia, a country that has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine for more than four years," Dan said.

“As a result, the consul general of the Russian Federation in Constanța has been declared persona non grata, and the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Constanța will be closed," he added.

Nicușor Dan also thanked Romania's NATO and European Union partners for their support following the incident, describing it as evidence of Euro-Atlantic solidarity and unity.

Further on, the president outlined several measures aimed at strengthening Romania's air defense capabilities. He said anti-air and anti-drone systems are being acquired through the European Union's SAFE defense program, with contracts expected to be signed in the coming days. Romania has also signed a partnership agreement with Ukraine on the joint production of drones and is participating in a separate mechanism alongside the United States and the United Kingdom to accelerate the production and testing of drones and anti-drone technologies.

Until the new equipment is delivered, Romania is relying on arrangements with allied countries to deploy additional anti-drone capabilities on its territory, the president said.

In a quick reaction, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told TASS: "Retaliatory measures in response to the declaration of the Russian consul general as persona non grata and the closure of the consulate general will not be long in coming."