©picture alliance / Alexander Farnsworth | Alexander Farnsworth
A naval drone exploded in the Romanian port city of Constanța. Part of the port area was evacuated and shipping in part of the coastal zone was shut down as a precaution. Authorities say the device is believed to be an unmanned maritime device linked to the war in Ukraine. As far as is known, no one was injured.
The drone was found early Friday morning in the civilian port about 130 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, near the headquarters of the Romanian Maritime Safety Agency. The explosion followed around 10:30 a.m. local time. Emergency services and military were immediately deployed en masse and the area was cordoned off for investigation. According to Romanian authorities, Ukraine warned that there were possibly more unexploded drones in the area.
There was said to be a group of five unmanned aircraft. One drone exploded in Ukraine, another in Romania, while three more are being tracked down with the help of helicopters. The origin is unclear: news reports, for now, do not make it clear whether they are Ukrainian or Russian drones.
The explosion in Constanța is not an isolated incident. Romanian President Nicușor Dan pointed out that the incident is the second major security problem on the Romanian coast in just one week. Earlier, a sea mine was found and detonated. In addition, a week ago, a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Galați, injuring two people.
According to Dan, Romania, which is a member of NATO, is in close contact with the alliance. For now, there are no signs that Article 5 will be invoked. At the same time, the European Commission also says that the threat to border countries continues to grow due to the war in Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa expressed full solidarity with Romania, calling the incident a direct result of the Russian war.
Meanwhile, last night, Ukraine reported that it struck five Russian ships in the Sea of Azov with naval drones. According to Kyiv, the ships were carrying grain, military equipment and fuel, among other things. Azerbaijan says five Azerbaijani civilians were killed in the attack.
Russia, meanwhile, denies that the exploded drone in Constanța had anything to do with its own military and instead points the finger at Ukraine. "These are Ukrainian unmanned maritime craft," the Russian embassy writes on Telegram. "Any attempt to directly or indirectly link those drones to Russia and attribute to Russia responsibility for the incident is entirely unfounded."
©picture alliance / Alexander Farnsworth | Alexander Farnsworth - illustration image of the port of Constanta