President Dan:Expulsion of Russian ambassador not ruled out over further incidents

 Romanian President Nicusor Dan said in an interview with the BBC on Saturday, he has no doubt it was a Russian Geran-2 drone which entered his country's airspace and hit an apartment block in the east of the country, following an incident involving an attack on the Ukrainian port of Reni, in the Danube region. In the interview, President Dan did not rule out expelling the Russian ambassador should there be further incidents of this kind."First of all, it is certain that it was a Russian Geran-2 drone. We know this because we had another one four or five weeks ago that did not explode, and we compared the remains of both drones - the one that exploded yesterday and the one that arrived a month ago - and they are completely identical. So we can say for sure that it is a Russian Geran-2 drone. Secondly, we know the flight path. In fact, there was a swarm of 43 drones that targeted the port of Reni, the western Danube port in the Odesa region, in the western part of Ukraine in the Black Sea area. One of them, hit by the Ukrainian army, changed direction and entered Romanian territory," said the Romanian president.At the BBC's insistence, Nicusor Dan confirmed that the incident was not a deliberate targeting of Romania, but rather a consequence of Ukrainian defensive action against the Russian drone. However, he stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims regarding the drone's origin are false. "We can say for sure that it was a Geran-2 Russian drone," Dan emphasized.Regarding Bucharest's diplomatic response to the incident - the closure of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Constan?a and the expulsion of the consul general - Nicusor Dan said that the situation had become dangerous for civilians and that further measures would follow if the incidents continued."It is a warning to the Russian side, that measure, and I hope that they will stop. If not, there are other measures that we can take against them,' the president said, adding, when asked about possible further diplomatic steps: 'Expelling the ambassador, for instance. There is a diplomatic hierarchy of measures."When asked about the support he expects from NATO, the president explained that Romania needs temporary assistance to protect the approximately 60 kilometres of border along the Danube until it strengthens its own military capabilities. "What we are asking from our partners is temporary assistance for the 60 kilometres of border along the Danube until we have all the necessary equipment in place," said Nicusor Dan.Regarding U.S. support, he noted that the United States has already provided Romania with specialized equipment for part of the 60-kilometre border: "They have already given us some equipment for exactly this 60-kilometre stretch of border. So we have some American equipment, but only for part of the border, not for all of it," he said.When asked whether Romania could commit to increasing its NATO funding, amid pressure coming particularly from the U.S., Romanian President Nicusor Dan explained that, two weeks ago, at the B9 summit in Bucharest - which brought together the nine NATO eastern flank countries, with the Nordic countries also invited, and organized in preparation for the NATO summit in Ankara - it was agreed to continue increasing defense funding, to turn it into concrete capabilities, and, very importantly, to develop the military industry in each of those countries.   Romanian President Nicusor Dan has published photographs of the drone debris recovered from the apartment block in Galati that was struck last week, stating that the investigation has conclusively determined the aircraft was of Russian origin. He added that the findings will be shared with Romania’s NATO allies and relevant European Union institutions.   Shortly after the president released the images, Romania’s Ministry of National Defence (MApN) published the main conclusions of its technical investigation into the drone that hit the residential building.   According to the ministry, the object was identified as a Geran-2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufactured in Russia. Investigators recovered fragments bearing the partially visible Cyrillic inscription “?????? 2” (“GERAN-2”), while multiple technical components matched those previously recovered from Russian drones found on Romanian territory.   The Ministry of Defence reported that: The object was a Geran-2 one-way attack drone (kamikaze UAV) of Russian manufacture. Recovered fuselage and wing fragments featured carbon-fiber structural elements and Cyrillic markings. The propulsion system consisted of a four-piston, air-cooled boxer engine operating on a two-stroke cycle and equipped with a propeller. Electronic components indicated the use of a KOMETA GNSS navigation system, capable of receiving signals from multiple satellite navigation networks. Investigators identified an electronic servomotor used to maintain the drone’s flight trajectory. The drone carried a high-explosive (HE) warhead weighing approximately 30 kilograms TNT equivalent, which detonated upon impact.   The ministry also stated that all recovered components were structurally and functionally identical to debris recovered from previous incidents involving Geran-2 drones that crashed in Romanian territory, including cases in Tulcea and Galati during 2025 and 2026.   According to radar tracking data, the target was first detected at 01:46 a.m. in Ukrainian airspace, approximately 19 kilometers from Romania’s border, near the Ukrainian city of Reni. In a Facebook statement, President Dan said the technical report leaves “no doubt” that the drone was Russian-made. “The investigation established this conclusion based on a substantial body of technical evidence,” he wrote. According to the president, investigators identified the Cyrillic marking “?????-2” on recovered fragments. The drone’s electronic systems, navigation equipment, command modules, engine, and structural elements were found to be identical or nearly identical to those of other Geran-2 drones previously recovered in Romania and conclusively linked to Russian production.   The report also found that manufacturing markings, technical inscriptions, construction methods, and materials matched the technological processes observed in Geran-2 drones analyzed in recent years.   “Based on all these elements, the investigation concludes unequivocally that the fragments recovered in Galati originated from a Russian-made Geran-2 drone,” President Dan stated.He described the incident as extremely serious, noting that a military drone struck a residential building in Romania, causing injuries and material damage.“The fact that such an aircraft hit an apartment block in Romania, causing injuries and property damage, is of the utmost gravity, and Russia bears sole responsibility,” he said. Dan emphasized that protecting Romanian citizens and safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity remain fundamental obligations of the Romanian state. He confirmed that the findings will be communicated to Romania’s allies and to competent structures within NATO and the European Union.   “Romania will continue to work together with its partners to strengthen security on the Alliance’s eastern flank and to protect its citizens,” the president said. “Romania will neither ignore nor downplay any incident that endangers the lives of its citizens, national security, or the sovereignty of the Romanian state.” (Photo:https://www.facebook.com/)