The Romanian Minister of Defence, Radu Miruce, reported that on the afternoon of 11 August, Romanian Army clearance divers neutralised two ‘Gerbera’-type drones in the Black Sea. Russian forces regularly use such drones to attack Ukraine.
According to him, this took place in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, approximately 90 nautical miles west of Constanța.
Miruce clarified that the drones were detected in the Neptun Deep field in the Black Sea, where Romania extracts natural gas.
The drones were spotted from one of the vessels operating near the gas platform, after which a coastguard vessel and military personnel were dispatched to the area. According to the official, they located the drifting UAV systems and neutralised them.
The Ministry contacted its Ukrainian partners, who confirmed that the systems did not belong to them, the statement said.
In recent months, Russian drones, which the Russian military is using to attack Ukraine, have systematically entered the airspace of NATO countries, including the Baltic states, Finland and Romania. In response, Romania announced the closure of the Russian Consulate-General in Constanța and the expulsion of the consul from the country. Russia announced the closure of the Romanian Consulate in St Petersburg.