Trigger: the fall of the UAV was only the reason for the closure of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Romania

Romania has decided to close the Russian Consulate General in Constanta and expel the Russian consul after the incident with the drone in Galac. The episode was just a reason for a new diplomatic escalation, the Russian Embassy in Bucharest told Izvestia. At the same time, even in the European Parliament there are those who consider the decision of the Romanian authorities unacceptable. However, the first refutations in favor of Moscow have already appeared. Romanian President Nicusor Dan said: the fall of the UAV could be related to the work of the Ukrainian air defense. According to experts, there will be no serious crisis in relations between Moscow and Bucharest, but the incident may be used to strengthen anti-Russian rhetoric in the EU.

Drone crash in Romania

The escalation in relations between Russia and Romania is gaining momentum. On May 29, the authorities of a European country said that a Russian drone hit an apartment building in Galac, injuring two people. After that, President Nikushor Dan announced the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Constanta and the expulsion of the Russian consul, calling it a response to the violation of the country's airspace.

Izvestia sent inquiries to the Romanian Embassy and Foreign Ministry, as well as to the Consulate General of the Russian Federation. At the time of the incident, the Russian institution had no official information. But she suddenly appeared before the Romanian authorities.

Photo: Global Look Press/Sina Schuldt

A little later, Dan stated that the drone's fall could be related to the work of the Ukrainian air defense. According to him, the device was part of a group of 43 drones, some of which were shot down over the territory of Ukraine, and one was probably hit in the Reni area, after which it changed its trajectory.

Moscow has already reacted to the situation. Vladimir Putin, commenting on the incident, said that the origin of the drone could not be established without the necessary expertise. If Russia receives information about the crash of a drone in Romania, Moscow will conduct an objective investigation, the president noted.

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— After all, we know that Ukrainian drones have flown into Finland, Poland, and somewhere in the Baltic countries Ukrainian drones have flown. The first reaction was exactly the same as it is now in Romania: "Guard! Russian Russians are coming, Russians are hitting," the Russian leader said at a press conference following his visit to Kazakhstan.

The Russian Foreign Ministry promised to respond to Bucharest's actions. The official representative of the department, Maria Zakharova, said that the situation with the drone in Romania is being used to distract attention from the tragedy in Starobilsk.

Photo: TASS/Alexander River

A similar assessment was given by the Russian Embassy in Bucharest. As diplomats told Izvestia, the incident in Galati was just a pretext for a diplomatic escalation.

"Romania openly follows the foreign policy line of the EU and NATO aimed at confrontation with Russia, and judging by the way events developed today, it used the incident in Galac as an excuse to implement a decision that was made in advance," the diplomats told Izvestia.

In any case, it's too early to draw conclusions. Even if the drone's components and explosives are of Russian origin, this does not prove exactly where the device was assembled and from where it was launched, Romanian MEP Diana Shoshoake told Izvestia.

— Even during wars, the parties do not close the channels of communication. In this context, the closure of the Russian consulate in Constanta is an unacceptable diplomatic act, given that there is still no investigation and its results, but there are only assumptions," she stressed.

Exterior of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Constanta

Photo: Inquam Photos/Costin Dinca via REUTERS

The current incident in Romania will continue to be promoted at the level of the European establishment, and individual EU leaders will use it to make new statements against Moscow, Dmitry Yezhov, an associate professor at the Financial University, told Izvestia. According to him, Bucharest and the EU leadership consider the fall of the UAV as a reason for another diplomatic escalation with Russia.

Drones in European countries

However, the incident in Romania is a more general problem for the eastern flank of NATO. Drones did crash or violate the airspace of European countries, and each such case became a reason for new accusations against Moscow.

Moreover, drones had been in Romania before that. In April 2026, the authorities had already reported the fall of fragments of Russian drones in the Galac and Constanta areas during massive Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, UAVs have repeatedly violated the country's airspace, and in some cases debris with possible explosives has been found. But no high-profile decisions were made, which only confirms the pre-prepared scenario this time.

Photo: Inquam Photos via REUTERS

From March to May, similar incidents occurred in the Baltic States. In Latvia, two Ukrainian UAVs crashed into an oil storage tank, which intensified the political crisis in the country and even led to the resignation of Prime Minister Evika Silini. In Estonia, a NATO fighter had to shoot down a Ukrainian drone. Train traffic and national exams were suspended in Latvia, and Vilnius Airport was shut down in Lithuania due to drones in the airspace.

Drone Project: Who is behind the drone incident in Poland

And why are the positions of NATO and the EU regarding what happened different?

The largest incident occurred in Poland in September 2025. Then 19 drones entered its airspace. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the incident a large-scale provocation and initiated consultations on NATO Article 4. Moscow stated that it did not plan to hit any targets on Polish territory and even called for a joint investigation of the incident, but, as expected, it did not receive a response to this.

It was after this incident that NATO launched Operation Eastern Sentry ("Eastern Sentry") to strengthen the defense of the eastern flank. Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte announced its launch on September 12, 2025, two days after the violation of Polish airspace by drones. The purpose of the operation in the bloc was to strengthen the alliance's presence and capabilities in the eastern direction, including protecting airspace and countering further incidents with UAVs.

Photo: Global Look Press/Thierry Monasse

One should not expect far-reaching military and political consequences from the current incident in Romania. Bucharest may try to get additional preferences as part of strengthening NATO's eastern flank, but Poland and the Baltic states will still remain priorities for the alliance, Yezhov said.

In any case, another attempt to inflate an international scandal and accuse Russia of aggression seems somewhat ridiculous, especially given the subsequent revelations of Nikushor Dan. However, it would not be surprising if Brussels began to spin this incident to strengthen anti-Russian rhetoric.