Black Sea security: Drone explosion in Romania

The incident happened on Friday, June 5, just a week after a Russian drone struck an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two citizens. The port was evacuated and nearby residents were warned to take cover in case other explosions occurred. The naval drone was supposedly on board one of the boats travelling in the coastal area.

The Romanian Defence Ministry confirmed the origin of the explosion. “The maritime drone discovered this morning in the Civil Port of Constanta self-destructed around 10:30am local time without causing any casualties.” The ministry has also reported that the drone was not part of the Romanian Army’s equipment. For now, it remains unclear who’s the owner of the exploded drone. However, leaders of the NATO state said that “the maritime drone is of the type used in the war in Ukraine.” Photos of the supposed drone before the explosion have been published by Clash Report on X. From the looks of it, the system could have been of Ukrainian origin. The port is located around 100 miles south of the border with Ukraine. An investigation is underway to discover the reason and source of the explosion.

The incident from the Constanta Port is not the first one of its kind. As noted before, just a week ago Romania had experienced a strike from a Russian drone. More and more neighbouring countries experience the proximity of war, Romania and the Baltic states alike. Repeated incidents like these could influence the willingness to support Ukraine further in a war against Russia, to the detriment of Kyiv.