The Ukrainian navy has said the sea drone that exploded in the Romanian port city of Constanta on Friday morning had veered off course due to Russian electronic interference.
"While carrying out missions in the Black Sea operational zone, one of the Ukrainian Navy’s unmanned surface vessels lost control due to enemy electronic warfare measures and drifted toward the coast of Romania," the Ukrainian navy said in a statement, adding that it had "provided the necessary information to the Romanian Navy to prevent civilian casualties".
The Romanian Ministry of National Defence said earlier on Friday that the naval drone detonated at around 10:30 a.m. local time and that it was thought to be "of the type used in the war in Ukraine".
"The area had already been secured and cordoned off by forces from the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Coast Guard, and the Ministry of National Defense; at that time, the object was undergoing assessment and being secured," the ministry said.
It also confirmed that the drone was not part of the Romanian Army’s inventory and that it had not been involved in recent military exercises in the Black Sea area.
