Russia summons Romanian chargé d'affaires Liliana Burda following drone dispute

Diplomatic summons in Moscow

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday, 26 August, that Romania's chargé d'affaires in Moscow, Liliana Burda, has been summoned to attend an official meeting at the ministry on Thursday, 27 August. Russian diplomatic representatives communicated the decision to state news agency TASS and Interfax without publicly disclosing the formal motive for the discussion. Burda currently holds the position of first collaborator and second-ranking diplomat at the Romanian embassy in Moscow, which is headed by Ambassador Cristian Istrate. The diplomatic summons occurs against a backdrop of worsening bilateral relations and follows a sequence of reciprocal measures triggered by cross-border security incidents. Romanian authorities confirmed that Burda received the instruction to appear before Russian foreign ministry officials in the Russian capital.

Airspace incidents and Bucharest expulsion

The direct precursor to the Moscow summons occurred in late July following several cross-border incursions near the Romanian border. Between 24 July and 26 July 2026, the Romanian Army intercepted and shot down three unauthorized drones that entered national territory. On 27 July, Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian Ambassador to Bucharest, Vladimir Lipaev, to register a formal protest over the illegal incursions. During that encounter, Romanian officials presented Lipaev with recovered debris from the destroyed aircraft, which forensic investigations by Romanian prosecutors confirmed to be of Russian manufacture. Bucharest handed Lipaev an official verbal note declaring a member of the Russian diplomatic mission persona non grata, mandating that the official leave Romanian territory within five days.

It is absolutely inadmissible and intolerable for the Russian Federation to continue violating the airspace of Romania, which represents, in equal measure, the airspace of NATO and the European Union.

Pattern of expulsions and consulate closure

The July confrontation was not an isolated episode between the two governments during the summer of 2026. On 29 May, Romania declared the Russian Consul General in Constanța, Andrei Kosilin, persona non grata and ordered the complete shutdown of the Russian consulate in that Black Sea port city. That earlier diplomatic rupture occurred after a Russian drone crashed directly into a residential apartment building in Galați, leaving two individuals injured. The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected Romania's accusations at the time and issued immediate warnings of reciprocal consequences. On 25 June, the Russian government acted on those warnings by summoning Romanian Ambassador Cristian Istrate to Moscow and declaring Romanian diplomatic staff persona non grata.

Retaliatory measures in connection with the declaration of the Russian Consul General as persona non grata and the closure of the Consulate General will not be long in coming.

Escalating official warnings

Following Romania's late July expulsion of the Russian diplomat, Moscow repeatedly promised another round of retaliatory action. Russian embassy officials in Bucharest initially stated that the dismissal of their staff member would not remain without an answer. On 6 August, Aleksei Fadeev, the deputy director of the communications department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, reiterated that a formal countermeasure was forthcoming, though he did not specify the date or exact mechanism of the response. The Russian government previously maintained that Bucharest holds sole responsibility for worsening the regional security environment, while Romania emphasized that Russian military activities continue to endanger allied airspace. The 27 August meeting at the foreign ministry in Moscow is expected to deliver Russia's formal response to the July expulsion.