Romania declares Russian military attache, deputy personae non grata

BUCHAREST (Reuters) -Romania declared the Russian embassy's military attache and his deputy personae non grata on Wednesday for what it said were acts contravening diplomatic rules, a move Russia said it would respond to.

The step is the latest sign of tension between Bucharest and Moscow over the war in Ukraine and allegations of electoral interference.

Romania cancelled a presidential election before a second round in December due to accusations that Russia had meddled in the electoral campaign, something Moscow denied.

"Romanian authorities have decided to declare persona non grata the military air and naval attache to Bucharest of the Russian Federation as well as his deputy for acts which contravene the Vienna Convention," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

It did not give further details of the acts in question. The Vienna Convention governs diplomatic relations.

Russia said it would respond to Bucharest's move, the state RIA news agency reported.

Russia declared one Romanian embassy official persona non grata in July. Bucharest said at the time that this was an unjustified response to Romania declaring a Russian diplomat persona non grata in May.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, writing by Alan Charlish; Editing by Aidan Lewis)