Romania Destroys Explosive Marine Drone Near Major Black Sea Gas Project
Romania destroyed an explosive-carrying marine drone near the Neptun Deep offshore gas project after it approached critical infrastructure in the Black Sea. Kyiv told Bucharest the vessel was not Ukrainian, while Romania’s president blamed Russia.
Romania deployed two F-16 fighter jets on Thursday to eliminate an explosive-drone detected close to the Neptun Deep offshore gas facility in the Black Sea, according to Romanian officials. The drone, a small maritime vessel, was observed within Romania's exclusive economic zone, near the Neptun Alpha platform, as per Romania’s Defense Ministry.
One of the F-16s fired its onboard cannon, successfully striking the target. Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruță confirmed that the drone had come within a few hundred meters of the project, posing a significant threat to both crucial infrastructure and the numerous personnel working at the site. "The decision to destroy the marine drone was taken to safeguard the lives of the hundreds of workers on the platform and to secure vital infrastructure," Miruță stated.
A subsequent vessel arrived at the location and completed the destruction of the drone, which was found to be armed with explosives. Initially, Miruță did not specify who launched the drone, but he later revealed that Romanian authorities reached out to Ukraine through a new communication line, and Kyiv confirmed the drone was not affiliated with Ukrainian forces.
President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia for the incident, denouncing the escalating pattern of reckless Russian actions in the Black Sea. He emphasized that Romania would continue to stand vigilant alongside its NATO allies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the incident as part of what she termed an "escalating campaign of threats."
This latest event follows a series of concerns over the security of energy and commercial infrastructure in the Black Sea, as Russia's war against Ukraine persists. In earlier August, Romanian military divers dismantled two Gerbera-type drones found drifting in Romania's exclusive economic zone near the Neptun Deep area. Additionally, Romanian naval specialists retrieved a drone wing near the Neptun Alpha platform on August 16 after it was spotted by a commercial vessel.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
