Russia expels Moldovan diplomat in tit-for-tat move | Vladimir Putin News
Russia Expels Moldovan Diplomat Amid Heightened Tensions
Relations between Moscow and Chisinau have deteriorated since the onset of the 2022 Ukraine conflict.
Published: November 10, 2026
Russia has expelled a Moldovan diplomat in response to Moldova’s recent expulsion of a Russian embassy employee linked to the crash of a drone on its territory.
On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Moldova’s ambassador, Lilian Darii, and informed him that a member of the Moldovan embassy had been declared “unacceptable” under the principle of reciprocity.
The ministry issued a statement asserting that a strong protest was made against the Moldovan government after an employee of the Russian embassy in Chisinau was declared persona non grata on October 23. The ministry criticized Moldova’s decision as being based on the “formal pretext” of a drone incident, referring to the discovery of debris from an unmanned aerial vehicle allegedly carrying explosives. It described this action as “another unfriendly step” and claimed it aimed to further damage the historical ties between Russia and Moldova.
In an incident last month, Moldovan President Maia Sandu reported that a “Russian attack drone” had entered Moldova’s airspace, crashing near residential areas and an energy facility. Following the event, Moldova took action against the Russian embassy staff member.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have been multiple instances of drones entering Moldovan airspace. Relations between Russia and former Soviet states, including Moldova, have significantly worsened, particularly as several of these countries seek closer ties with the European Union.
In a move to lessen its energy dependence on Russia, Moldova officially launched a new power line connection to Romania on Sunday. The 400-kilovolt extra-high-voltage line, which extends from Vulcanesti to Chisinau, is designed to reduce reliance on the Cuciurgan thermal power plant located in the breakaway region of Transnistria.
Other European-aligned nations in the Black Sea region have reported a resurgence of attacks attributed to Moscow, including a recent drone strike that sank a cargo ship off Romania’s Black Sea coast in October.
