Russia’s Ambassador to Romania Vladimir Lipaev issued a stern warning to the Bucharest administration regarding cross-border operations of air defense systems. Lipaev stressed that such steps would mean Romania becoming a direct party to the war in Ukraine.
In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Russian Embassy said that “Romania’s cross-border air defense actions will not be permitted to escalate the conflict.” It also noted that any support to the Kyiv regime is unacceptable and prolongs the conflict, leading to further loss of life.
Drone Crisis and Diplomatic Expulsion
Romanian President Nicușor Dan recently announced that an F-16 fighter jet had shot down a drone in the country's airspace. However, Romanian authorities did not provide any evidence that the drone in question belonged to Russia.
Following this incident, the Romanian Foreign Ministry summoned Ambassador Lipaev and later decided to expel a Russian diplomat. The ministry claimed that debris from the downed drone was placed in front of the Russian diplomat.
Ambassador Lipaev, in his statement, said that Russia did not send any combat drones to any targets on Romanian territory and that such allegations were completely unfounded. Lipaev added that the expulsion of the diplomat would not go unanswered.
Romania’s Airspace Policy
The Romanian Parliament had previously approved a law authorizing the destruction of drones violating its airspace. NATO also bolstered its airspace surveillance capacity over Romania during this period.