Russia has never sent and is not sending combat unmanned aerial vehicles against targets on Romanian soil, and all speculation on this topic is 'completely' groundless, the Russian Embassy in Bucharest said on Monday, after ambassador Vladimir Lipayev was summoned to the Foreign Ministry over the drones that illegally entered Romania's national airspace in recent days.

According to the Embassy's press office, 'the utterly unsubstantiated expulsion of an employee of the Embassy of the Russian Federation will not remain without response'.

'On July 27, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Romania, Vladimir Lipayev, was invited to Romania's Foreign Ministry, where he was presented a protest regarding the alleged violation of national airspace by 'Russian unmanned aerial vehicles' and was informed of the decision to expel an embassy employee. The diplomat categorically rejected the unfounded accusations against Russia, stressing that this is a new propaganda staging meant to hinder the continuation of strikes on Ukraine's Black Sea and Danube port infrastructure, used by NATO for delivering military cargo and weapons,' the Embassy said.

According to the diplomatic mission, Lipayev stressed that 'Russia has never sent and is not sending combat unmanned aerial vehicles against targets on Romanian soil, and all speculation on this topic, regardless of its source, is completely without any basis'.

The head of the diplomatic mission warned of the danger of further escalation of the confrontation with Russia and of attempts at cross-border actions by Romanian air defence, which 'would imply Romania's direct involvement in combat operations on Ukrainian territory'.

The Russian ambassador was summoned on Monday to the Foreign Ministry 'as a firm reaction to the repeated violations of Romania's airspace between July 24 - 26, when the Romanian Army shot down three drones that unlawfully entered the national territory'.

The Romanian side underscored that the Russian Federation bears exclusive responsibility for these serious incidents and for the deterioration of the regional security environment, the Foreign Ministry said.

During the meeting, the Russian head of mission was handed an official verbal note informing him of the decision to declare a member of the Russian mission persona non grata, and demanding that he leave Romanian territory within 5 days.

According to the Romanian Ministry, the Russian diplomat was shown fragments of the drone destroyed on Romanian territory, components which Prosecutor's Office investigations have officially confirmed to be of Russian origin.

The Romanian side expressed a firm protest against these illegal and irresponsible actions and made clear where the responsibility lies, pointing out that it is absolutely inadmissible and intolerable for Russia to continue violating Romania's airspace, which is equally NATO and European Union airspace. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)