Moscow Reacts to Diplomat's Expulsion and Drone Debris Presented to Ambassador

The Russian Embassy in Bucharest has strongly refuted Romanian authorities' claims of Russian drone incursions into national airspace and condemned the expulsion of a Russian diplomat. The embassy issued a statement asserting that the "unsubstantiated expulsion" of a staff member would not go unanswered.

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The unsubstantiated expulsion in any way of an employee of the Embassy of the Russian Federation will not remain without response.

This reaction follows the summoning of Russia's ambassador to Romania, Vladimir Lipaev, to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting concerned alleged incidents between July 24-26, during which Romanian military forces reportedly downed three drones that had entered Romanian airspace without authorization. During the meeting, Ambassador Lipaev was presented with official protests regarding the "alleged violation" of Romanian airspace and informed of the decision to expel a diplomatic mission employee.

The Russian Embassy stated that Ambassador Lipaev "categorically rejected the unfounded accusations against Russia." He argued that the situation constituted "a new propaganda setup" aimed at hindering strikes on Ukraine's port infrastructure on the Black Sea and the Danube, which he claimed NATO uses for military supplies.

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During the meeting, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Romania, Vladimir Lipaev, was invited to the MAE of Romania, where he was presented with a protest regarding the alleged violation of national airspace by 'Russian unmanned aerial vehicles' and informed of the decision regarding the expulsion of an employee of the Embassy.

Ambassador Lipaev insisted that Russia has never deployed combat drones against targets in Romania. "Russia has never sent and does not send combat drones against targets on the territory of Romania, and all speculations on this topic, regardless of who they come from, are completely baseless," the embassy reported him saying. The diplomatic mission also cautioned against the risk of escalating tensions in the region, warning that Romanian anti-aircraft actions near the border could lead to Romania's direct involvement in combat operations within Ukraine.

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The diplomat categorically rejected the unfounded accusations against Russia, emphasizing that it is a new propaganda setup aimed at preventing further strikes on Ukraine's Black Sea and Danube port infrastructure, used by NATO for the delivery of military cargo and weapons.

According to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, fragments of a downed drone were presented to the ambassador, and investigations by the prosecutor's office reportedly confirmed their Russian origin. The ministry stated that the ambassador was invited to the MAE on July 27, where he was presented with a protest concerning the alleged violation of national airspace by "Russian unmanned aerial vehicles" and informed of the decision regarding the expulsion of an embassy employee.

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Russia has never sent and does not send combat drones against targets on the territory of Romania, and all speculations on this topic, regardless of who they come from, are completely baseless.