Ukrainian suicide drone explodes near Romanian oil port

An unmanned vessel, diverted by electronic warfare, strayed into Romania's Constanta port, causing a large explosion.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense reported that an unmanned surface vessel (USV), identified as a type "used in the conflict in Ukraine," exploded inside the country's Constanta port on the Black Sea. The incident occurred around 10:30 on 5/6 and resulted in no casualties. The vessel detonated near Constanta's oil and gas port, prompting Romanian authorities to evacuate over one thousand people from the coastal area. Two helicopters were deployed to search for additional explosive devices.

Ukraine confirmed the vessel was its own, stating the craft was diverted by Russian electronic warfare jamming. The Ukrainian navy announced, "While on a mission in the Black Sea operational area, a Ukrainian navy unmanned vessel was affected by enemy electronic warfare, lost control, and eventually appeared near the Romanian coast." Ukraine's Sea Baby USVs are capable of carrying up to one ton of explosives and are remotely controlled to travel hundreds of kilometers for suicide-style attacks.

Smoke rises after a Ukrainian unmanned vessel self-detonated at Romania's Constanta port on 5/6. *Reuters*

Georgii Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Kyiv promptly informed Romania about the unmanned vessel losing control "due to Russian jamming." He added that effective coordination ensured necessary measures were taken to prevent harm to civilians. According to Romanian officials, Ukraine reported losing control of a total of 4 suicide vessels. Romanian President Nicusor Dan detailed the incidents: "Besides the unmanned vessel that self-destructed at Constanta port, a second one self-detonated offshore Constanta under the supervision of the coast guard. Two other unmanned vessels exploded about 145 km east of Constanta."

President Dan characterized this "serious security incident" as a direct consequence of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen echoed this sentiment, stating, "This is increasingly becoming a direct threat to countries on our eastern border."

An image believed to be a Ukrainian unmanned vessel at Constanta port before its explosion on 5/6. *X/AMK Mapping*

NATO confirmed it is monitoring the situation after receiving notification from Romania. A NATO official stated, "We will continue to coordinate closely with Romanian officials." As a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO, Romania's security is protected by Article 5 of NATO's charter, which stipulates that an attack against one member is considered an attack against the entire alliance, triggering a collective response.

This incident is not isolated. Romanian airspace has been infiltrated dozens of times by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in early 2022. Bucharest recently reported that one of the UAVs launched by Russia during an attack on Ukraine struck an apartment building in Romania in late May, injuring two people. Russia, however, claimed that accusations of its involvement in the incident were "unfounded."