Russia has announced the expulsion of two Romanian diplomats in retaliation for a similar move by Romania in March. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that Romania’s military attaché and his assistant in Moscow were declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country.
The decision comes as a response to Romania’s March expulsion of two Russian diplomats, which was justified by allegations of interference in Romania’s internal affairs. The Russian Ministry expressed that the move was a direct retaliation for Romania’s unwarranted decision to expel Russia’s military attaché and his assistant in Bucharest.
The Russian chargé d’affaires in Romania, Liliana Burda, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today to receive the official notice. The statement emphasized that the expulsions were unjustified and were in response to Romania’s own actions earlier this year.
Romania had expelled the Russian diplomats on March 5, accusing them of involvement in activities that violated the Vienna Convention. In addition, Romania raised concerns about hybrid actions aimed at undermining the country’s democracy, particularly regarding the influence of Russian interference in the 2024 Romanian presidential election. The name of the expelled military attaché’s assistant was linked to a case involving presidential candidate Kalină Đorđeșcu, who was accused of benefiting from Russian interference in the election.
