Romania’s defence ministry confirmed that the object involved was not part of its military equipment. In a statement, it described the drone as “of the type used in the war in Ukraine” and said it “self-destructed around 10:30 am (0730 GMT) without causing any casualties”.
Ukrainian naval authorities acknowledged ownership of the device, explaining that it had veered off course during operations in the Black Sea. According to the navy, “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,” Ukraine’s navy said.
Kyiv also said it had kept Romanian officials informed. Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Georgii Tykhyi said Ukraine “informed the Romanian side in a timely manner of a naval drone that it had lost control because of Russian jamming”. He added that coordination between both sides ensured “necessary measures to prevent harm to civilians”.
Tykhyi further warned of wider risks from the conflict, saying: “This incident shows once again that Russia’s ongoing full-scale aggression poses a threat not only to Ukraine, but to the entire region.”
Moscow, however, rejected any responsibility. “These are Ukrainian unmanned maritime vehicles,” the Russian embassy in Bucharest said earlier on Telegram.
“Attempts to link these drones, directly or indirectly, to Russia and to attribute responsibility for the incident to Russia are completely unfounded,” the embassy added.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan disclosed that multiple drones were involved in the incident. He said on X: “In addition to the drone that self-destructed in the Port of Constanta, a second one self-detonated, under the supervision of the Coast Guard, off the coast of the Port of Constanta, and two other drones exploded approximately 145 km east of Constanta,” President Nicusor Dan wrote on X.
The event came just days after another cross-border incident involving a Russian aerial drone that injured two people in Galati near Ukraine’s border.
Romania, a member of both the European Union and NATO, has repeatedly accused Russia of violating its airspace since the war began in 2022 and has called for stronger defensive support from the alliance.
President Dan described Friday’s development as a serious warning, saying on X that the “significant security incident” reflects “the direct consequences of the war of aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine”, which requires “a high level of vigilance”.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said the situation stemmed directly from the war, warning that it was increasingly affecting neighbouring countries. She said it was becoming “a direct threat to countries on our Eastern border,” she wrote on X.
NATO confirmed it was closely tracking the situation after being notified by Romania.
“We continue to closely coordinate with the Romanian authorities,” a NATO official said.
Precautionary evacuations were carried out along the coast, with more than 1,000 people moved to safety. Two helicopters were deployed to monitor the area, while residents and tourists received alerts advising them to stay away from a one-kilometre radius.
Emergency officials stressed that the response was precautionary. “Our measures at this time are purely preventive,” said emergency management chief Raed Arafat.
President Dan later noted that authorities had prior warning of the drone’s instability, saying, “What’s important is that there was information that this drone was going to explode,” which helped ensure public safety during the incident.
Romanian officials also confirmed that a separate drone incident occurred on May 29 near Galati, which was identified as a Russian-origin Geran-2 and left a mother and her teenage son injured.
Earlier in the week, another sea drone was discovered washed up along Romania’s Black Sea coastline, adding to growing regional concern over maritime spillover from the conflict.