Romanian President Nicusor Dan announced on Friday that Romanian authorities had decided to declare the Russian Federation’s consul general in Constanta persona non grata and close the Russian consulate after a Russian drone crashed into a residential building in Galati, causing a fire and injuring two Romanian citizens.
The president made the announcement after the emergency meeting of the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) at Cotroceni Palace. He stressed that “Russia bears full responsibility for this incident” in the context of its war against Ukraine.
“We had a Russian Geran-2 drone launched from Russia. We know its trajectory, we know where it passed through Ukraine and how it reached Romanian territory,” Nicusor Dan stated, adding that the drone formed part of a larger group of Russian drones, one of which entered Romanian airspace.
The Romanian president also criticized what he described as attempts by some political and opinion leaders to excuse Russia’s actions in connection with the incident.
Nicusor Dan thanked Romania’s partners in the European Union and NATO for their solidarity and said the incident demonstrated “Euro-Atlantic unity” in the face of regional security threats.
On defense matters, the head of state announced the acceleration of Romania’s military modernization programs, including investments through the European SAFE mechanism in anti-aircraft and anti-drone systems. According to him, authorities expect to sign the contracts soon, with deliveries planned within one to two years.
Dan also referred to cooperation with Ukraine on drone production and to joint initiatives with the United States and the United Kingdom to develop and test anti-aircraft technologies.
At the same time, the Romanian president said authorities responded quickly after the Galati incident, including through civil defense measures, and added that officials had ordered additional protection measures in potentially affected areas.