MOSCOW/ BUCHAREST — The Russian Foreign Ministry has promised to respond to Romania's decision to shrink the Russian mission in that country according to the Kremlin-aligned news agency RIA Novosti, citing Russian Foreign Ministry.

Earlier, the Romanian Foreign Ministry reported that 40 Russian diplomats and representatives of the technical staff of the Russian Embassy, as well as their family members, had been sent on a special flight from Bucharest.

"As previously stated by the Russian side, Russia will give an appropriate response," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Romanian authorities stated that 11 diplomats and 29 technical and administrative staff were on board.

On June 8, Romania had announced that Russia was to reduce its diplomatic staff by 40 people. The Russian side was informed that it had no more than 30 days to comply with the expulsion decision.

According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, this decision "reflects the current level of bilateral relations, which Romania has sharply reduced since the beginning of the Russian Federation's aggressive war against Ukraine".

Romanian broadcasters showed an Ilyushin Il-96 aircraft landing at Bucharest airport. It too off later on Saturday, according to airport sources quoted in the local press.

Like other European countries following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, NATO-member Romania expelled Russian diplomats suspected of espionage. The number of staff at the Russian embassy has been slashed by more than half, Bucharest said.

Romania was a communist state until a revolution overthrew its dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989, but was never a part of the Soviet Union which collapsed the same year. — Agencies