A Ukrainian maritime drone exploded inside Romania’s Port of Constanța, a major oil delivery depot, last Friday after Ukrainian forces lost control of four uncrewed vessels operating in the Black Sea, according to Romanian authorities. There were no injuries reported.
Romanian officials said the drone detonated at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time after the area had been secured by the Romanian Intelligence Service, coast guard, and Ministry of National Defence. Three additional drones also self-destructed, two offshore and one outside the port area.
According to a statement from the Romanian government, Kyiv confirmed that it had lost operational control of four maritime drones and blames Russian jamming on the failure.
“Immediately after identifying the drone, the Ministry of Defence contacted its Ukrainian counterparts, who confirmed that they had lost control of the operation of four drones,” said Romanian officials in a statement. “Confirmation of these events was received both from the Ukrainian side and from information obtained by the Romanian authorities,” they said.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan said the drones were likely disrupted by Russian electronic warfare systems.
“The Ukrainian forces lost control of the assets as a result of electronic warfare actions by Russia,” Dan said, adding that the incursion into Romanian territory was a direct consequence of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The explosion interrupted a live Romanian news broadcast.
The incident comes amid growing concern among NATO members about military drones and uncrewed maritime systems drifting into NATO territory. Just one week earlier, a Russian drone involved in an attack on Ukraine veered off course and struck an apartment building in the Romanian city of Galați, injuring two civilians.
The destruction of the maritime drones follows another incursion by a Ukrainian drone into NATO territory when a maritime vessel was found disabled in Greece. Romania, like Greece, is a NATO member but has strong ties to Ukraine.
Romania’s navy has also become increasingly involved in Black Sea security operations. According to the Romanian Ministry of Defence, naval forces have neutralised nine of the 156 sea mines detected in the Black Sea basin since the start of the war.
“The EU condemns the repeated violations of airspace of Member States and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the security of all Member States,” said European Council President António Costa in a release. The prevalence of these drones in NATO waters is bringing the Ukraine-Russian war home for many neighboring countries and could escalate the war past Ukraine’s borders.
