Russia Expels Romanian Embassy Employee In Retaliatory Move

Russia has declared an employee of the Romanian Embassy in Moscow persona non grata, in a move described as a retaliatory measure following a similar decision by Bucharest against a Russian diplomat.

Russia's Foreign Ministry announced the decision on August 27.

The ministry said Romanian Chargé d'Affaires Liliana Burda was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of State Protocol on August 27, where she was handed a formal diplomatic note informing her of the decision.

Russia said the move was made in response to Romania's earlier decision to declare an employee of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest persona non grata.

Romanian authorities had previously issued a verbal note to Russia's ambassador, informing him that one of the employees of Russia's diplomatic mission in Bucharest had been declared an undesirable person. The diplomat was ordered to leave Romanian territory within five days.

During the meeting, the Romanian side also presented fragments of a drone that had been destroyed in Romania. According to an investigation conducted by the Romanian Prosecutor's Office, the components of the drone were of Russian origin.

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