A maritime drone of the same type that Russia uses in the war in neighboring Ukraine detonated spontaneously this Friday in the Romanian port of Constanta, on the Black Sea. It has been near an oil terminal and has not caused any victims, according to local authorities reported to media such as Reuters and EFE. Both the Council and the European Commission have already pointed out the Russian Army as guilty of the aggression, but the Romanian authorities have not yet specified whether the UAV was of Ukrainian or Russian origin.
This is the second serious incident in a populated area of the country (a member of the European Union and NATO) in just a week, in a context of a growing hybrid threat and widespread tensions in the conflict in Ukraine, a country that has been fighting a Russian invasion since February 2022.
The news website G4media.ro quotes Constanta County Prefect Adrian Teodor Picoiu as saying that Ukraine had notified Romania that the drone was part of a group of five, one of which exploded on its own territory. Ukrainian authorities did not immediately assess this incident, while the Russian embassy in Romania stated that the drones were from the Ukrainian Navy, not its Federation.
“The Russian Embassy in Romania informs the Romanian public that these are Ukrainian unmanned marine vehicles used by the kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks against civilian ships and threaten navigation in the Black Sea,” its note expressly reads. In this way, he stated that any attempt to “directly or indirectly link these drones to Russia and hold it responsible for this incident” is “unfounded.”
The local press maintains that there is only material damage, not serious, and that the impact occurred near the headquarters of the Romanian Agency to Save Human Lives at Sea, about 500 meters from an oil terminal.
The explosion comes a week after authorities reported that a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building in the southeastern Romanian town of Galati near the border with Ukraine, injuring two people. This was the first time in the war that a drone hit a densely populated area in an allied country.
A key port for kyiv
The Romanian Ministry of Defense has stated that the drone self-detonated at 10:30 this morning (local time, one hour less in Madrid) and that it was not part of the Romanian Army’s equipment nor was it involved in the recent exercises that its troops are carrying out in the Black Sea.
The affected port, Constanta, is the largest in Romania and has had to be completely evacuated. Residents of the area have been advised to avoid the coast, while ships and helicopters still fly over the area, according to Deputy Interior Minister Raed Arafat in a press conference. “We are not in panic, our measures are purely preventive,” he told reporters, acknowledging that they have not ruled out the possibility of other maritime drones in the area.
Romania shares a 650 kilometer land border with Ukraine and has suffered repeated intrusions by Russian drones into its airspace since Moscow’s attack on kyiv four years ago, as well as the presence of land mines floating in the Black Sea, blocking key trade and energy routes.
Earlier this week, the Romanian navy detonated a Russian YaRM-type anti-aircraft mine that had reached the Romanian coast of the Black Sea. “This is the second significant security incident this week on the Romanian coast,” declared the Romanian president, Nicusor Dan, through his Facebook account, shortly after news of the detonation became known.
Ukraine has been using Constanta – which has 156 docks and 32 kilometers of berths – as an alternative route for the export of grain, as well as for the import of fuel, precisely. The entire Black Sea is crucial for the transport of grain, oil and petroleum products, and is shared by Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia and Turkey, as well as Ukraine and Russia.
The reactions
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, have condemned the drone incursion and have expressed their “full solidarity” with the Romanian people.
“Solidarity with Romania! A week after a drone crashed into an apartment building in Galati, today a maritime drone has arrived at the port of Constanta. This is a direct consequence of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” said the head of the Community Executive in a message on social networks, written in Romanian.
His Portuguese colleague has expressed himself along the same lines, regretting that it is beginning to become less of an anecdote as a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The EU condemns the repeated violations of the airspace of the Member States and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the security of all Member States,” added the Portuguese socialist in another message on social networks.
Von der Leyen has also warned that the incursion of drones into community territory “is increasingly becoming a direct threat to the countries” on the eastern border of the European Union, which is why she has encouraged a response “matching the urgency.”
“Europe is investing massively in anti-drone capabilities, air defense and early warning systems. ‘SAFE’ will help build a stronger Romania and a stronger Europe,” added the German conservative, referring to the EU instrument for the joint purchase of military and defense material.
Last week, precisely, the German was visiting the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), concerned about the increase in incidents of hybrid warfare that are feared to have Russia as their origin and, in particular, about the presence of UAVs in their airspace.
NATO, for its part, has said that it is “closely monitoring” and in coordination with local authorities the situation in Romania, allied sources informed the EFE agency. “Romania has informed NATO of the drone incident that occurred in Constanta and we are closely monitoring the situation. We continue to coordinate closely with the Romanian authorities,” the same sources stated.
