Ukrainian Maritime Drone Self-Detonates in Constanța Port After Russian Jamming

A Ukrainian maritime drone self-detonated at around 10:30 a.m. in the port of Constanta, Romania, and three other sea drones self-detonated outside the port, with no injuries reported.

“A maritime drone has exploded in Romania’s Constanta port, with several other drones discovered nearby”

Al Jazeera

Romanian authorities said the area had been secured and isolated by the Romanian Intelligence Service, coast guard and the Defense Ministry, and the Romanian government said the Ministry of Defense contacted Ukrainian counterparts after identifying the drone.

Al Jazeera

The Romanian government said the Ukrainian side confirmed it had “lost control of the operation of four drones,” and added that “The other three drones self-detonated — two offshore and the third outside the port.”

AP reported that after the port explosion, more than 1,300 people were evacuated from several Black Sea beaches and routes leading to them were temporarily blocked, before emergency authorities suspended evacuation measures just before 3 p.m.

In a statement online, Romanian President Nicusor Dan said the Ukrainian forces “lost control of the assets as a result of electronic warfare actions by Russia,” and described the drone’s incursion into “Romanian sovereign space” as a consequence of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Ukraine’s explanation centered on Russian electronic interference, with the Ukrainian Navy saying one of its unmanned surface vessels “lost control under the influence of the enemy’s electronic warfare systems and ended up near the coast of Romania.”

Romania’s response included sealing and evacuating the area, and the Ukrainian Navy said it provided Romanian naval authorities “in order to prevent losses among the civilian population.”

AP News

The Russian Embassy in Bucharest rejected Russian responsibility and accused Romania of releasing “incomplete information” about the drone’s origin, while saying “three other similar drones” belonging to Ukraine were drifting toward Romanian territorial waters.

Al Jazeera reported that Interior Minister Raed Arafat said the port was evacuated after the detonation and residents along the Black Sea coast were warned to take cover as helicopters surveyed for other vessels.

In reaction to the incident, European Council President António Costa said the EU condemns repeated violations of airspace and called the event “the third significant security incident in Romania in recent weeks,” linking it to “Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Romanian authorities said the investigation into the incident remained ongoing, with the prosecutor’s office attached to the Constanța Court of Appeal opening an investigation into the drone explosion.

“Useful links Sections Services Sectors Newsletters en A maritime drone exploded this Friday in the Romanian port of Constanza, in the Black Sea, without causing casualties”

Demócrata

AP reported that the incident came a week after a Russian aerial drone struck an apartment building in Romania’s eastern Danube port city of Galati, injuring two people, and that helicopters were deployed to search for more drones after the earlier incident.

Al Jazeera said the maritime drone exploded near an oil terminal without causing injuries, and it described the episode as part of a pattern of drone incursions along NATO’s eastern flank.

The Kyiv Independent quoted Romanian President Nicusor Dan saying that “a second one self-detonated offshore near the port under the monitoring of the Coast Guard,” while two other drones exploded about 145 kilometers (90 miles) east of Constanta, and Dan said none of the drones caused casualties or significant damage.

In parallel, the AP account said the Romanian Defense Ministry reported that since the beginning of the war next door, the Romanian navy had neutralized nine of the 156 sea mines in the Black Sea basin, underscoring the continuing maritime security stakes around the region.