Romania expels Russian diplomat after shooting down three drones, escalating NATO-Russia tensions

Romania just kicked out a Russian diplomat after its military spent three straight days shooting drones out of the sky. On July 27, Romania’s Foreign Ministry declared a Russian diplomat persona non grata, giving them five days to leave the country. The trigger: three Shahed-type drones, confirmed to be of Russian origin, were shot down by Romanian forces over three consecutive days from July 24 to 26. Three drones, three days, one message Romania didn’t just file a complaint. It presented physical evidence of the drone incursions directly to the expelled diplomat before showing them the door. Romania also recalled its ambassador from Moscow for consultations. This isn’t Romania’s first round with Russia this year. Back in May, Romania closed Russia’s consulate in Constanta and expelled a Russian consul after a separate drone crash incident in the city of Galati. Russia responded in June by shuttering Romania’s consulate in St. Petersburg. Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.