Russia closes Romania’s Consulate in Saint Petersburg, expels consul

Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on Thursday, June 25, that it would close Romania’s Consulate in Saint Petersburg and expel the Romanian consul in a tit-for-tat move following the closure of the Russian Consulate in the Romanian city of Constanța.

Romania decided to shut down the Russian consulate in Constanța, a port city on the Black Sea coast, following the crash of a Russian drone into a residential building in Galațiat the end of May. The crash triggered an explosion and a fire that injured two people and led to the evacuation of around 70 residents.

Romania’s Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) calledthe Russian measure “predictable” and said it comes as an answer to the measures taken by the Romanian authorities.

On May 29, a Russian-made Geran-2 drone crashed into an apartment building in Galați, a port town on the river Danube, during a large-scale overnight attack on Ukrainian targets near Romania's border. The drone was part of a swarm of 43 Russian drones. One entered Romanian territory.

The drone crashed into the roof of an apartment building shortly after 2 a.m., triggering an explosion and a fire in a tenth-floor apartment, where two people sustained minor injuries.

(Photo: the HQ of Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry by Julia161 | Dreamstime.com)