Sea Drone Explodes In Romania’s Constanța Port After Ukraine Says Vessel Lost Control Due To Russian Jamming
A maritime drone exploded in Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanța on Friday, prompting an investigation. No casualties were reported. Romanian officials said the device resembled sea drones used in the war in Ukraine. Russia’s embassy blamed Kyiv, while authorities have not confirmed the drone’s origin.
A Ukrainian naval drone that exploded off Romania’s Black Sea coast was knocked off course by Russian electronic interference, Kyiv said Friday, confirming the device’s origin and offering an explanation for its presence in Romanian waters.
The maritime drone detonated in the port of Constanța earlier the same day, prompting a Romanian investigation.
No casualties were reported.
Ukraine’s Navy said the unmanned surface vessel had been operating in the Black Sea when it came under electronic warfare pressure.
“While carrying out missions in the Black Sea operational area, one of the Ukrainian Navy’s unmanned surface vessels came under the influence of the enemy’s electronic warfare systems, lost control, and ended up near the coast of Romania,” the navy said.
Romanian authorities had earlier said the device resembled sea drones used in the war in Ukraine and stressed that its origin was under investigation.
The area around the explosion was sealed off by intelligence services, the coast guard and military units.
The prosecutor’s office attached to the Constanța Court of Appeal has opened an investigation into the incident.
Russia’s embassy in Bucharest instantly blamed Ukraine for the explosion. In a statement published on Telegram, the embassy said the device was a Ukrainian maritime drone and dismissed suggestions of Russian involvement as “completely unfounded.”
The incident is the latest security concern linked to the war in Ukraine to affect Romania, a NATO member that shares a border with Ukraine and a coastline on the Black Sea.
Last week, Romanian authorities confirmed that a drone which crashed into a residential building in the eastern city of Galați during a Russian attack on Ukraine was Russian.
The drone struck an apartment block near the Ukrainian border, causing a fire and explosion.
Two residents were treated for panic attacks but suffered no serious injuries.
Romania’s Defense Ministry said the drone had entered the country’s airspace during the attack but could not be intercepted because of the limited time available to detect and track it.
Romanian authorities have repeatedly reported drone incursions and debris falling on their territory since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
