Romanian military destroys suspected Russian sea drone in Black Sea
Video posted to social media showed a Romanian F-16 diving towards the suspected Russian drone and strafing it with its cannon.
On August 20, 2026, the Romanian military successfully destroyed a suspected Russian drone near the Neptun Deep natural gas project in the Black Sea, according to Defence Minister Radu Miruta. The drone was found near the Neptun Deep platform, located 80 miles east of Constanta, within the exclusive economic zone. Two Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jets were deployed to neutralize the threat.
Video footage showed an F-16 diving towards the drone and firing its cannon. Romanian F-16s eliminated the unidentified maritime drone within a kilometre of the Neptun Deep platform. Miruta confirmed that the drone was not of Ukrainian origin, emphasizing the incident was an act of aggression from the Russian Federation. Prime Minister Nicusor Dan condemned the attack, stating that it was part of an escalating campaign of threats, which he described as hybrid warfare.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed her condemnation, highlighting the destabilizing impact on the Union.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
