A few hours ago, I posted an article about Russia’s most recent incursion into NATO territory, when an overnight attack against Izmail, southwestern Ukraine, resulted in a drone striking an apartment building in Galati, southeastern Romania. Referring to Vladimir Putin’s continuing violations of international law, I wondered:

“So how long will it be before he is held to account?”

Well, it didn’t take long for Romania to take diplomatic action.While NATO accused Russia of reckless behavior and promised to defend its allied territory, Romanian President Nicusor Dan went a giant step further and announced the expulsion of Andrei Kosilin, the Russian Consul General in the nearby city of Constanta, and shut down the consulate.

From the looks of it, it’s not much of a consulate. And its closure is not as impactful as shutting down the embassy in Bucharest would be.

But it’s a start — and it has not gone unnoticed in Moscow. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quick in saying that:

“ . . . retaliatory measures in connection with the declaration of the Russian consul general as persona non grata and the closure of the consulate general will not be long in coming.” [Meduza, May 29, 2026.]

Zakharova did not indicate whether they were considering diplomatic retaliation or — hopefully not — a military response. But it is clear from her words that the Kremlin is not happy.

The war in Ukraine has predictably spilled across borders in the tightly-packed Eastern and Central European region, creating security nightmares for numerous countries from Romania and Moldova to the Baltics. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has an outstanding warrant against Putin and other high Russian officials for war crimes committed in Ukraine. But Russia is not a member of the ICC, and there has been no practical effect on Putin other than to restrict his travel to or through certain ICC member countries.

Further isolating Russia diplomatically might be more meaningful, if enough countries were to follow Romania’s lead. A number of them have already closed their borders with Russia and its ally Belarus, cancelled direct flights, and issued punishing sanctions.

But Putin still has sufficient allies throughout the world to keep his regime afloat . . . for now. What will it take for them to realize that his ability to help them is waning, while his need for their assistance is increasing?

How long would their loyalty last if he were finally shown to be the liability that he truly is?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/29/26